HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 04-29 Transportation investment in Maplewood MAPLEWOOD REVIEW Transportation investment in Maplewood
APR 2 `a 20 and modes for this
north/south transitway.
The Planning Commis-
sion will be receiving
� ti, an update on this proj-
r; _ . ,
m ect at its May 5th meet-
. °'......- . '11 , ing at 7:00 p.m. at City
''''.•':, 4 ;.,'„,ekt—,.."‘„ — --T"'w.41k 1 ,:!„)_0,,,, Hall. Here and before?
v * P1141:'° I would encourage you
�� - to visit the following
,,� .„,. ,„,,,a links for more informa-
Nora Slawik '44.s:v..e4: •
Mayor of Maplewood tlOri:
http://thegateway-
corridor.com/
As I am driving in a http://www.rushline.
Maplewood I experience - org/
firsthand the deterio- `
rating pavement condi- The number of people
tions, traffic congestion using transit is growing;
and potholes that plague between 2000 and 2010,
our roads. I know this transit trips increased
affects the quality of life by 25% as a percentage
for our families and it
, � ° � � of all trips in the Twin
can hurt our businesses. ,. _ Cities region, and use of
Many of, ou have con- � Park & Ride facilities,
tact cl rrie 'ia e-mails, s ails the fia f y
phone calls ot-"rn=person recently built near the
about problems with the ' ; Maplewood Mall, grew
streets by your homes ,, $ k by over 6% from 2012
and backups on certain - , ,; to 2013 alone. This
roads. Y ' ' trend is expected to
The City has made a submitted photo continue, and by 2040
consistent investment Workers fix a segment of surface pavement on we expect our transit
over the past decade into Lakewood Drive,just south of Highwood Avenue E. system will need to pro-
local roads as part of our vide approximately 180
strategic neighborhood vices. For more informa- Glenn and Weaver Ele- million rides per year to
reconstruction program. tion please visit www. mentary Schools. The keep up with demand in
However, based on citi- ci.maplewood.mn.us and City continues to work the region.
zen feedback I believe type "franchise fee" into closely with its partners At the state level we
we need to accelerate the search bar. The City such as Ramsey County have the chance this year
the replacement of our invites you to a public on needed improvements to invest in a transpor-
aging roadways in order hearing tentatively sched- in the community. This tation infrastructure
to to improve the qual- uled for May 26th at 7:00 year the County will fix that would propel us
ity of life in Maplewood. p.m. at City Hall about the pavement on White into a prosperous eco-
To improve our roads in the proposed franchise Bear Avenue between nomic future. In order
local neighborhoods the fee. Frost Avenue and Beam to do this, we need a
City is considering an Maplewood has taken Avenue which is a wel- comprehensive strat-
additional investment of a balanced approach of come investment. egy that emphasizes all
$470,000 per year over not only investing into I am involved with modes of transportation,
the next decade on top local roads, but also several transit initia- including transit. If we
of our currently pro- leveraging federal funds tives that in the near do this right, transpor-
grammed 5-year invest- to help pay for conges- future will greatly ben- tation investments now
ment plan. tion relief and access efit our citizens and will help set the stage
To do this accelerated improvements such as businesses and the east- for prosperity in Minne-
replacement, and not at Highway 36/English ern metro such as the sota for years to come.
affect other city services Street. In 2013 the City Gold Line Bus Rapid I have participated with
such as police, fire, and Council, with input from Transit (Gateway Corti- other Mayors in asking
parks, the City is consid- citizens and commis- dor) which will extend that the legislature ade-
ering a franchise fee that sioners, adopted a Living through Maplewood near quately fund transporta-
will allow the revitaliza- Streets Policy that aims 3M. The fixed guideway tion.
tion of an additional 2 to reduce life cycle costs, transit route would con- In summary, Maple-
miles of street per year. create livable neighbor- nett Saint Paul, Maple- wood is taking a proac-
This would be another hoods, and encourages wood, Landfall, Oakdale, tive approach to ensure
step toward establishing people to walk and bike Lake Elmo, and Wood- balanced investments
a continual investment for example. bury. Additionally, the into our community con-
into neighborhood roads In keeping with this Rush Line Corridor is in tinue. I will continue
and is in direct response theme Maplewood the planning stages and to stay involved and act
to the grass roots efforts received grant funding would help connect the as an advocate for a bal-
by our citizens that we and is building a trail this northern suburbs to the anted approach to trans-
need to do more for our summer that will extend regional transit system. portation investment and
roads without taking on along County Rd B pro- Your input is welcomed I welcome your sugges-
more city debt or tak- viding a safe pedestrian as we are currently dis- tions and involvement in
ing away from other ser- route for children at John cussing potential routes this effort.