Traffic In Minneapolis/St. Paul? (Lakeville: house, living, moving)

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

Is the argument for traffic being BETTER in the last 10 years the benefit from newly constructed sections? Otherwise, the area has added, what, 350,000 people and at least 100,000 drivers? I don't see how it could be vastly improved, even with the improvements. May through December are always the most busy times of the year, so the impact of the Crosstown Commons reconstruction won't truly be felt until May or June, IMO.

I think new construction has something to do with it but even simple design changes make a huge difference. It is amazing how adding one more lane going westbound on the Crosstown to the off ramp to 35W improves traffic flow. The old Wacota Bridge in South St. Paul used to funnel 4 lanes of traffic eastbound on 494 down to 2 lanes. Traffic routinely backed up past the Robert Street exit before the new bridge was added. Now traffic RARELY backs up in that spot at all.

[knke0204]

Traffic wouldn't be as bad as it is if people would just drive a little better.

It's embarassing to see. It's weird. I've never noticed this anywhere else besides MinneSLOOOWWWTa. People drive so darn slow here it's not even funny.

I am just in disbelief about it. 3 lane highway, and people go 61-68 mph in a 70 mph zone in the LEFT LANE or the CENTER LANE.

Hello people, if you are going to drive 61 MPH on the freeway, which the speed limit is 70, at least be in the far right lane, or at least get over. It's ridiculous.

My favorite thing about arriving in San Diego CA, is hopping into my rental car, and hitting the freeway at 81 mph, just to barely keep up with traffic.

[threeputts]

494 in the NW metro from the fish lake interchange to just north of 394 - southbound AM, northbound PM, is very bad. It needs a 3rd lane in each direction like the rest of 494.

[QuantumIguana]

35W has gotten better since the separation of 35W and 62. Hwy 62, not so much. The construction took so long, it's hard to remember what is was like before the construction began, but rush hour traffic on 62 can be brutal. You have four lanes merging into two lanes as 212 and 62 merge.

[Darbro]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

35W has gotten better since the separation of 35W and 62. Hwy 62, not so much. The construction took so long, it's hard to remember what is was like before the construction began, but rush hour traffic on 62 can be brutal. You have four lanes merging into two lanes as 212 and 62 merge.

4 lanes merging into 2? Wow, sounds nightmarish!

[prymel]

My favorite thing about arriving in San Diego CA, is hopping into my rental car, and hitting the freeway at 81 mph, just to barely keep up with traffic.

Must be a part of San Diego I've rarely experienced. I don't think there's anyplace in metropolitan southern California where it's possible to maintain 80+ mph on the fwy, except maybe at 3 in the morning.

[AllCity RayofMinneapolis]

I just thought I'd post this here cause it relates to the topic of traffic in a comical way. When us Minneapolitains are downtown, we jay walk like crazy. But that's the way we like it.
Take the following traffic study for example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esDyRGnXwnM

[prymel]

For as long as I've been here, I've fully expected to witness someone who couldn't wait for the "WALK" indicator getting mowed down by a car running late through an intersection. I don't jaywalk, and I've nearly been hit a few times.

[dmg1mn]

Traffic on I-694 between Brooklyn Center and Little Canada is Worse in the last decade.

[Thegonagle]

Better on the freeways where they've tweaked or rebuilt areas, but some of the improvements have made problems at other bottlenecks worse. Traffic is heavier on city and suburban streets overall.

Re. 694, it's worst there because most of the other bottlenecks feeding into it have been uncorked. The new 35E interchange moves more traffic through from the east, there's an additional lane coming from Maple Grove/Brooklyn Park, and NB 100 now empties two lanes directly onto EB 694 instead of squeezing them down to one lane first.