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Richfield council disapproves MnDOT I-494 Project 2 layout, demands pedestrian and bike safety work at 76th/35W
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Summary
After questioning safety at the 76th Street/35W interchange, the Richfield City Council voted unanimously to disapprove MnDOT's final layout for Project 2 unless the agency adds specified pedestrian and bicycle improvements; MnDOT said construction is slated for 2027 and can respond via the statutory appeal process.
The Richfield City Council voted Jan. 13 to disapprove the Minnesota Department of Transportation's final layout for Project 2 of the I-494 corridor vision unless MnDOT adds safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists at the 76th Street/35W interchange.
"The interchange is such a bad design" that it forces local traffic patterns to shift onto local streets and creates safety risks, Council member Hayford O'Leary said as he moved the resolution calling for the change. The motion tied disapproval to a specific condition: inclusion of pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements at the interchange.
MnDOT representatives told the council the project delivery schedule targets environmental approval and a request-for-proposals in mid-2026, with the contract let in October 2026 and construction beginning in 2027. MnDOT staff also explained statutory constraints around municipal consent and said the agency can accept requested modifications, decline to proceed, or submit to the statutorily prescribed appeal process involving an appeal board.
City staff and several council members said they were especially concerned the project as proposed would increase local traffic on a "box" of streets (76th, Penn, Lindale and 82nd) and would not address known safety problems where a regional trail and several schools cross the interchange ramps. Council member Burke noted the proposed project could worsen air quality and greenhouse-gas emissions in the area, even if local authority to block that effect is limited.
The council's vote to disapprove the final layout with the safety condition was unanimous. City staff said that under state statute MnDOT may respond to the condition and, if it refuses the change, the dispute would go to an appeal board; the project may proceed without municipal consent if MnDOT declines to make changes and completes the statutorily allowed steps.
City Engineer Joe Powers and MnDOT project manager Andrew Letaya addressed technical and schedule questions during the debate. Letaya told the council the agency "is targeting" release of an RFP in July and expects to let the project in October 2026.
Next steps: staff said they would coordinate with MnDOT on the requested revisions and report back to the council as provided by statute; if MnDOT submits the change and the council accepts it, the city would then formally approve the revised layout.
