A Shocking Transformation Is Planned For This Deadly Minneapolis Highway!
Get ready for the highway transformation of the century! 🛣️💥 Olson Memorial Highway is about to go from deadly to delightful, and you won’t want to miss it! 🚶♀️🚴♂️🏘️ #OurStreetsMinneapolis #HighwayRevolution #CommunityPower
A Notorious Stretch of Road
Golden Valley, Minnesota – Olson Memorial Highway, also known as Highway 55, has earned a grim reputation as one of the most dangerous streets in Minneapolis. But all that could change, thanks to a whopping $1.6 million grant from the federal government awarded to a local advocacy group, Our Streets Minneapolis. They’ve got big plans to turn this treacherous stretch of asphalt into a pedestrian paradise!
From Deadly to Delightful
Picture this: a once-deadly highway transformed into a vibrant, bustling boulevard, complete with bus lanes, bike paths, and plenty of room for folks to stroll. It’s not just about making the road safer, though. The advocates at Our Streets Minneapolis want to bring back the long-lost commercial district that got paved over when the highway was built. They’re talking affordable housing, new businesses, and a whole lot of community spirit!
A Redundant Road Gets a Makeover
Now, you might be thinking, “Why bother with this old highway?” Well, turns out, Highway 55 became pretty redundant after I-394 was built back in the 1990s. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is already cooking up plans to slim down the highway, but Our Streets Minneapolis wants to take things a step further.
A Land Trust for the People
Get this: Our Streets Minneapolis wants to take all that extra land freed up by narrowing the highway and put it into a publicly held land trust. That means the community would have a say in how it gets developed, and they’re pushing for affordable housing and business spaces. Talk about putting the power back in the hands of the people!
Inspiring Change Across the State
José Antonio Zayas Cabán, the big cheese at Our Streets Minneapolis, is all fired up about this project. He says their goal is to build momentum and help other communities across the Twin Cities and the whole state take down their own urban highways. It’s like a domino effect of positive change!
A Match Made in Transit Heaven?
But wait, there’s more! MnDOT also snagged a cool $3.6 million planning grant to look into bus rapid transit along an even longer stretch of Highway 55, from Minneapolis all the way to Medina. Now, you might think these projects would be at odds, but Carly Ellefsen, the communications maven at Our Streets, says they could actually be a match made in transit heaven.
🗣 What do you think of this latest development? We’d LOVE to hear from you in the comments section below. ⬇️
