Hard-hitting road construction begins

-- Leah Otto Johnson

This April would see Highway 36 through the cities of Maplewood and North St. Paul closed from White Bear Avenue to Century Avenue (Highway 120) until the fall. Mn/DOT proposed the highway have full closure through September in order to reduce project duration and cost as well as to increase safety, which may cause problematic commutes for students attending classes this summer.

The reconstruction project would completely eliminate six intersections along Highway 36, build a diamond interchange at Highway 36 and McKnight Road, and build a bridge to carry traffic over Highway 36 on Margaret Street.

Plans are still being finalized as to how the city would best host its Friday Night History Cruze, a classic car show held weekly during summer months. The Highway 36 reconstruction project would detour both east- and westbound Highway 36 traffic through the Cruze’s regular location on Seventh Avenue between First and Charles Streets in downtown North St. Paul.

History Cruzers car club, who organizes the show, said it is working with the city to make sure the car show will be back. But long-time Cruze regular (and ’51 Chevy owner) Bob Noren said the city "can’t use any other way to route traffic and can’t shut down the whole town." Noren said he would rather the Cruze relocate than cancel.

"It’s just good to be out there in the town itself and to socialize with other hot-rodders," he said.

North St. Paul’s iconic 44-foot-tall, 20 ton stucco and steel snowman, their city symbol unveiled in 1974, may also be affected by the construction. "We will be lowering Highway 36 at Margaret Street, and there’s as much interest in the snowman as the new bridges along the way," City Engineer Dave Kotilinek told WCCO’s Bill Hudson last May.

North St. Paul Mayor Bill Sandberg said he is uncertain where the snowman would relocate. The city relocated the snowman once before in the late ‘80s and had to saw its head off so that it would fit onto two flatbed trucks. "People lined the streets to watch the move, but little kids had tears," said Sandberg. "’Where’s his head?’ We told them, ‘Don’t worry, it’s on the next truck.’"

Also this April, Unweave the Weave, another Mn/DOT reconstruction project affecting northeastern St. Paul commuters, would see northbound Interstate 35E to westbound Interstate 694 closed through summer. Southbound I-35E to eastbound I-694 would also be closed this June through fall. It is estimated that both the Highway 36 and Unweave the Weave reconstruction projects would be complete late in 2008.

In addition, a third reconstruction project was recently proposed that would also affect the area. The cities of Maplewood and White Bear Lake announced plans for the White Bear Avenue and White Bear Avenue/I-694 Interchange Reconstruction Project, which is scheduled for preliminary study and design through August.

Construction for this project would begin in 2009 and affect White Bear Avenue from Radutz Avenue to Buerkle Road near the Maplewood Mall. Proposed improvements to the roadway would include reconstruction of the four-lane divided section to a six-lane divided section with turn lanes, as well as reconstruction of the I-694 interchange at White Bear Avenue.

Further information on all reconstruction projects and closures, including maps and closing schedules, is available online at www.dot.state.mn.us. Detailed information and detour maps for the Highway 36 reconstruction project is available online at http://www.ci.north-saint-paul.mn.us.