This is an aerial plan map showing proposed improvements to the intersection of I-494 and highway 169. For those of you that drive through this intersection, especially those of you that are northbound on 169, you know it is a perpetual snarl. A freeway intersection with traffic signals. Not a good idea.
Those of us in local governments around this intersection have been working with MnDOT and our federal legislators to encourage them to provide funding to fix this intersection. Not long ago, we had hopes of this project starting construction a couple of years from now. But, it is not to be.
All the money from the State’s 2003 Accelerated Bonding Bill, which could have provided funding for this project, is gone. Much of it went to the Highway 212 project, so our corner of the metro was not overlooked by the State. 169/494 was last project in the schedule of projects to be funded with this pot of money, and the last to receive funding, if there had been any to receive. Based on current funding levels, MnDot proposes to show the project to be built in 2014.
So what do we do until then? I believe that right-of-way acquisition and getting the final design completed should the top priorities. The plans are close to 30% completed right now. It might be a good idea to get the plans ready for a future “design build” project. That way, if new money becomes available, the project is sitting on the shelf and ready to go.
One never knows when the political winds of transportation funding might change and blow more money toward this project. If new state funding becomes available, we could see a rapid acceleration of the 494-169 project up the MnDOT project list. Until that happens we won’t see much rapid acceleration around this intersection until after 2014.
