Tell MnDOT to Implement Safety Improvements and Community Protections on Olson Memorial
Every day, the design of Olson Memorial Highway puts people at risk, and changes are long overdue.
The Northside is home to the largest concentration of school-aged children. Near North families and their loved ones cannot safely access their neighborhood and actively risk their lives crossing the highway.
The Near North neighborhood of Minneapolis has been asking the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) for safety improvements since 2022. The agency will decide on a project alternative for Olson Memorial Highway in 2027. These immediate safety improvements, necessary in the interim of the longer-term project analysis, are long overdue. It’s time for MnDOT to address and implement these life-saving measures.
Join us in calling on MnDOT to implement the Phase One safety improvements for Olson Memorial Highway.
These changes are proven to reduce crashes, prevent speeding, and make walking, rolling, biking and driving more comfortable and convenient.
Join us in demanding MnDOT to:
- Work with the City of Minneapolis to seek a 25 mph speed limit on Olson Memorial Highway in Minneapolis, which is consistent with City-owned arterial streets and is necessary to reduce severe and fatal crashes
- Lengthen crossing times at intersections so that families, elderly residents, and people with limited mobility have extra time to safely get across
- Improve pedestrian lighting along the eastern portion of the corridor
- Restripe the roadway with dedicated left turn lanes and use the repurposed street space to:
- Add a dedicated bus lane between downtown and Penn to facilitate operational improvements, speed, and reliability
- Add a protected bike lane using temporary barriers
While MnDOT continues its process for the future of Olson Memorial Highway, these near-term safety improvements cannot wait. That's why we are calling on MnDOT and relevant agency partners to deliver on these changes immediately while plans for Olson Memorial Highway are slated to be finalized by 2029.
Contact decision-makers to implement these near-term safety improvements now.
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Minneapolis, MN