Locally Grown Northfield » Hwys 3 & 19 Multimodal Transportation Study

Podcast: 2/3 Triumvirate on the Hwy 3 & 19 Transportation Study

Griff Wigley — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:25:32 +0000

Ross and I were unhappy about Tracy’s vacation, as you can see. But we got over it eventually. And after dissecting last weekend’s Outlaw Run, we tried to make sense of the Hwy 3 & 19 Transportation Study recommendations in front of the Northfield City Council. I think we failed, but you be the judge.

Click play to listen. 30 minutes.

You can also download the MP3 or subscribe to the podcast feed, or subscribe directly with iTunes. Our radio show/podcast, Locally Grown, usually airs Mondays at 6:00 PM and Sundays at 10 AM on KYMN 1080 AM.

Aerial tram studied for Hwy 3 at 3rd St.

Griff Wigley — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:32:02 +0000

Encouraged by the reception to their study of a tunnel under the Hwy. 19 railroad crossing (see pages 5-7 of this PDF update), engineers at Bolton and Menk announced this morning that they’re studying the advantages of an aerial tram across Hw3 at 3rd St.

It would connect the Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce to downtown Northfield near Bridge Square.

“We think this is a perfect example of our firm’s ability to ‘think outside the bridge’ said consultant Kris Chroamdoam. "Not only would this solve the problem of connecting both sides of Northfield for pedestrians, it could be a huge tourist attraction.”

Councilor Jim Pokorney, the only member of the Council to vote against the $50,000 study (officially called the Hwy 3 & 19 Multimodal Transportation Study) could not be reached for comment as he reportedly was on his way to visit the Aerial Tram in Portland Oregon.

Tunnel under Hwy. 19 RR crossing studied. Huh?

Griff Wigley — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:40:12 +0000

I was shocked to read in yesterday’s Northfield News (Transit study suggests tunnel under highway) that the Bolton and Menk consultants have drawn up conceptual plans for putting a tunnel under the Hwy 19 railroad tracks by Malt-O-Meal. When Tracy blogged about Hwy 3/Hwy 19 transportation study open house a few weeks back, I had no idea that we’d be paying consultants to look at a tunnel. This seems like a wildly extravagant idea and a waste of money to study, no matter if it’s local dollars or Federal dollars. Or am I missing something? (continued)

It would also require raising the railroad by six feet, laying a half mile of new track, building 1,200 feet of new roadway, 1,000 feet of retaining wall and carving a roadway through what may be bedrock… He said the tunnel — projected to be at a lower elevation than the Cannon River — would also call for a “creative drainage plan” to pump stormwater.