HomeMy WebLinkAbout1973 07-26 Lydia Ave. Construction OKd Despite Protests DISPATCH 'rnurs.,July26 '73 ST.PAUL DISPATCH
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A new one-mile stretch For one t h i n g, the wood Mall, a regional Councilman Don Wie- entering White Bear Av-
of Lydia Avenue will be council indicated, t h e shopping center under gert tried to assure resi- enue.
constructed t h i s sum- low bid was too good to construction at t h e dents that the village "You say there are no
mer in north Maple- pass up. n o,r t h w e s t corner of council had made no de- plans for going that way
wood, despite mounting It came in $21,000 be- White Bear and Beam cision — formal or infor- t o n i g h t," said Ralph
protests from n e a r b y low the engineering esti- avenues. mal — over the future Flaugher, `2140 B e a m
residents. mate. The next closest Village engineer Bob- extensions of Lydia Ave- Ave.
They objected at a re- bid was $85,000 over the by D. Collier said a daily nue. "But what about to-
convened public hearing estimate. traffic load of 2,500 to But someeo le found morrow night?" he in-
1 a s t week, suggesting The protesting r e s i- 4,000 vehicles was proj- •that hard to believe. quired. "A 44-foot street
that the proposed 44-foot dents said they fear Ly- ected for Lydia Avenue doesn't make sense if
width was "more than dia A v e n u e is being — just from residential They referred to a Ma- it's not going through."
adequate" for what vil- groomed for further ex- sources. plewood Mall plan that Don Jansky, 2244 E.
lage officials say is a tension — west to White A 44-foot road for that shows Lydia A v e n u e, Lydia Ave., said the new
street designed mostly Bear Avenue and east to kind of volume — allow- plus two other nearby road would be "even
for residential traffic. Century Avenue. ing for a pair of 12-foot east-west roads of Beam wider than County Road
Instead, they asked That would open it to driving lanes and two and Woodlyn Avenues, C and County Road D."
the village council to set- traffic heading to and 16-foot parking lanes
tie for a 36-foot-wide, from the new Maple- isn't any too adequate,
winding, temporarilyhe argued.
unpaved roadway. — "But this should take
But the council voted care of any traffic condi-
5-0 to award a $384,016 tions we can foresee,"
zontract to Bituminous he said.
Surfacing Co. for a 44- The new' road fronts
`o o t-w i d e., straight, almost half on a new 73-
)aved Lydia Avenue be- lot subdivision, known
ween McKnight Road as Tilsen's Addition No.
mnd Bellaire Avenue. 8.
tr,l .1
Despite
Protests
Norm Anderson, 1603 to do is look up the road
Frost Ave., said the new a little bit to see it run-
Lydia Avenue would be ning directly into the
as wide as Larpenteur Maplewood Mall."
Avenue. At the original public
"And I have never yet hearing on the Lydia Av-
seen cars go only 30 enue project July 5. Har-
miles- per hour on Lar- old -Berg, a North St.
penteur,"he stated. Paul resident, said his
"You're just asking concern was mostly over
for more people to use a possible eastward ex-
Lydia," he added, "and tension beyond Bellaire
they'll speed on it." Avenue.
"We're a little afraid That, he said, would
about all this," said bisect and ruin. the 53-
James St. Onge, 2126 acre Joy Park. operated
Beam Ave. "All we have by Ramsey County.