Discussing transit and development with Senator Klobuchar

On a snowy April Fools' Day, I managed to shovel out from 9+ inches of freshly fallen, heavy spring snow, and head to city hall for a meeting with Senator Amy Klobuchar.

One of the issues I dug into when I was on the planning commission, and am looking forward to working more on as a council member, is the County Road 73 And Highway 55 small area study. I've always thought the roads in that are were a little strange, having to make multiple turns to stay on CR73. This study looked at possibilities to revitalize the area and realign the roadway, with a focus on transit accessibility, since the city park and ride is there. It will be a big project, and require a lot of partnerships, with the county, the state and federal government and private developers.

The Sun Sailor reported, "The U.S. Department of Transportation issues several Rebuilding America Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity projects each year. In 2022, Plymouth applied for a RAISE grant to improve the intersection of Highway 55 and County Road 73 and was approved, thanks to Klobuchar’s efforts."

We spent the meeting that morning discussing the project with the Senator, who actually grew up not from from the site. We talked about the importance of housing, transit and access to jobs, and safety, especially in crossing Hwy 55. The project will include a pedestrian tunnel under the highway to make crossing easier, and to allow for bus rapid transit to more easily drop-off and pick-up passengers in both directions on 55.

The official project description, from RAISE’s website includes that Plymouth plans to “reconstruct a segment of Highway 55 by adding two new in-line bus platforms, constructing one mile of new multi-use path, adding a new at-grade trail railroad crossing, a new pedestrian refuge on Highway 55, and a new roundabout at South Shore Drive and 10th Avenue North. “It will also realign County Road 73, construct a bicycle station and e-bike/e-scooter charging area at Station 73, and make stormwater improvements.”

I'm looking forward to seeing this project take shape and bringing some improvements to this part of town.