Richfield hears MnDOT presentation on I‑494 Vision Project 2; public hearing receives no comments
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Summary
MnDOT presented the scope and staging for Project 2 of the I‑494 corridor vision during a municipal‑consent public hearing; no members of the public spoke and the council did not vote tonight. MnDOT described E‑ZPass lane additions, bridge and pavement work, and a four‑year construction schedule with local traffic mitigation measures.
The Richfield City Council opened a municipal‑consent public hearing Oct. 28 to receive a presentation from the Minnesota Department of Transportation on I‑494 Vision Project 2, then closed the hearing after no one from the public asked to speak. The council did not take a vote on municipal consent at the meeting and the item will return to the council for consideration at a future meeting.
A MnDOT area engineer and project manager described the phase‑two scope as adding E‑ZPass lanes on I‑494 between I‑35W and 20th Avenue, pavement reconstruction on segments of I‑35W and I‑494, replacement of a railroad bridge at Pleasant Avenue, reconstruction of the I‑494/Highway 77 interchange, and bridge deck rehabilitation on the Lindale Avenue bridge over I‑494. MnDOT also cited related work outside Richfield, including an E‑ZPass extension between West Bush Lake Road and Highway 100.
The presenter told the council the corridor vision originated from a 2022 plan and that project phasing began in earlier years, with project 1 largely complete. For the phase discussed Oct. 28, MnDOT estimated a four‑year construction window (2027–2030) and said the city of Richfield’s anticipated local cost share for identified street lighting additions is approximately $9,000. “We are trying to keep three lanes in each direction open during construction,” the presenter said, noting that lane widths and temporary barriers would change and that both mainline and local streets could see diverted traffic.
To address local impacts, MnDOT described a “toolbox” of mitigation measures the contractor could be required to deploy, including signal‑timing changes, temporary signals, and turn‑lane extensions, and said the agency will take baseline measurements and monitor local routes in Richfield, Edina and Bloomington.
Mayor Pro Tem opened the hearing and explained speaking procedures; no residents signed up to speak. The council formally closed the public hearing and deferred the municipal‑consent decision to a future meeting so members can consider the information and solicit any additional staff or public input.
Because the council did not vote on municipal consent on Oct. 28, no formal approval or disapproval occurred at this meeting.