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MnDOT recommends roundabout corridor for Highway 7 after safety review
Summary
MnDOT presented the Highway 7 Corridor Study to the Shorewood City Council, recommending a roundabout‑focused alternative (Alternative 2) for Segment 1 based on safety and crash‑reduction data; MnDOT said public engagement continues through June and the study is expected to wrap up by September 2025.
MnDOT officials presented findings from the Highway 7 Corridor Study to the Shorewood City Council on May 12, recommending Alternative 2 — a corridor of roundabouts and related changes — for Segment 1 based on crash and safety data.
Faith Zha, MnDOT Highway 7 Project Manager, and Paul Glaser, MnDOT Senior Project Manager, outlined three Segment 1 options: no build (Alternative 1), a roundabout corridor (Alternative 2), and improved intersections (Alternative 4). Glaser said the study’s layouts do not depict all local driveways but that the plan assumes a left‑in and no left‑out at Eureka Road, with traffic directed east via the Minnewashta roundabout.
"We were proposing a left‑in at Eureka and no left‑out," Glaser said, describing how traffic circulation would rely on nearby roundabout connections. He also said the study recommends Alternative 2 because it addresses corridor needs more effectively than other options.
Councilmembers pressed MnDOT on how the alternatives would affect people walking and biking, particularly children traveling to the middle school. Councilmember Gorham noted that today crossings are at a signalized intersection and asked whether the roundabout option would be better for pedestrians; Glaser said crossing at multi‑lane roundabouts requires specific crossing treatments and promised to provide additional pedestrian‑safety data. "If Alternative 2 moved forward, there would have to be consideration for what the crossing treatment would be for that roundabout," he said.
Ryan Wilson, West Area Manager for MnDOT’s Metro District, said rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) are one treatment option to indicate the presence of pedestrians or bicyclists and that current policy places maintenance of RRFBs with local agencies, though the policy is under revision.
MnDOT staff summarized the study timeline: formal public engagement in May, an official recommended alternative in June, and completion of the study by September 2025. Staff said the project will transition from the Capital Highway Investment Plan (CHIP) to the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and that a planning‑level cost estimate will show funding gaps; MnDOT staff described the FY29 paving program budget as roughly "somewhere around thirty‑five million dollars." Mayor Jennifer Labadie and councilmembers urged continued outreach, expressed concern about survey fatigue, and emphasized that the Eureka Road intersection should remain part of the comprehensive solution regardless of survey response rates.
The study team agreed to bring additional pedestrian‑safety statistics and continue coordination with Shorewood and other corridor cities as planning proceeds.
