06-05-2024 Joint Council-TC AgendaJOINT CITY COUNCIL AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WORK SESSION
RICHFIELD MUNICIPAL CENTER, BARTHOLOMEW ROOM
JUNE 5, 2024
7:00 PM
Call to order
1.Nicollet Avenue Design Update
2.Staff will provide an update on ongoing pursuits for external funding and the status of those
requests/applications.
Adjournment
Auxiliary aids for individuals with disabilities are available upon request. Requests must be made at
least 96 hours in advance to the City Clerk at 612-861-97 11.
AGENDA SECTION:Work Session Items
AGENDA ITEM #1.
STAFF REPORT NO. 16
WORK SESSION
6/5/2024
REPORT PREPARED BY: Matt Hardegger, Transportation Engineer
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR REVIEW: Kristin Asher, Public Works Director
6/4/2024
OTHER DEPARTMENT REVIEW:
CITY MANAGER REVIEW: Katie Rodriguez, City Manager
ITEM FOR WORK SESSION:
Nicollet Avenue Design Update
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
County Staff have been following the city’s public engagement policy to develop a preferred concept for the
Nicollet Avenue reconstruction. There have been three phases of engagement with the public and other
stakeholders to develop the current design. All phases included an open house, a virtual open house, pop up
events, and other direct engagement with the public and other stakeholders. At each phase, the Transportation
Commission has been briefed on the engagement activities and provided input into features of the corridor. In
advance of the 4th phase of engagement and contacting adjacent residents regarding identified property
impacts, the project team is seeking to update the City Council on the project’s progress and receive input on
several design areas to further refine the project concept and layout.
DIRECTION NEEDED:
Staff are seeking direction from Council on the following areas:
Right of Way Impacts and Acquisition
The current proposal attempts to center the roadway within the “perceived” right of way,
meaning that regardless of where the actual right of way line is, the distance from the back of
walk to the front door of the adjacent houses/businesses is kept roughly equal for both sides of
the street. This design does require a considerable amount of sidewalk easements to be
acquired.
There is an alternate option to try to center the roadway within the existing right of way to limit
the need for easement acquisition. The current road is not centered in the right of way, so this
option may present challenges where the back of sidewalk is considerably closer to
residences/businesses on one side of the street.
This option may still require limited sidewalk easements and a costly relocation of a
significant section of a large diameter gas transmission line.
Raised concrete medians and associated movement and access closures
Based on Transportation Commission input, closed medians were included at half of the non-
roundabout intersections. These treatments create a safer roadway by allowing a pedestrian
refuge and greatly reducing the possibility of right-angle crashes along the corridor.
Medians would restrict two-direction access to 6 driveways in the vicinity of 69th Street.
Medians would restrict left turns and through movements at 74th, 71st, and 69th Streets,
requiring residents who use those streets to use adjacent parallel streets or roundabouts on the
corridor to access their destinations.
Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs)
No intersections on the corridor meet the County’s warrants for an enhanced crossing with an
RRFB.
If RRFBs are desired, the City would be responsible for the full cost to construct the signals.
Staff are working to determine whether the City or County would own and maintain the RRFB
equipment.
Raised Parallel Crosswalks
Raised crosswalks are proposed for three reasons:
Improve pedestrian visibility by increasing the relative height of a pedestrian to a driver.
Allow pedestrians and bicyclists, traveling along Nicollet Ave, to continue on a consistent
path without a “roller coaster” effect with steep pedestrian ramps at intersections.
Slow traffic crossing the pedestrian and bicycle paths by introducing a visual and physical
cue that a driver is entering neighborhood streets.
Intersection Control (Roundabouts vs. Signals)
From a safety perspective, roundabouts perform at a significantly higher level than signals by
reducing potential conflict points and drastically lowering the chance of a severe right-angle or
head-on crash.
From a vehicle delay modeling standpoint, both roundabouts and signals perform acceptably.
Roundabouts do perform better in the Nicollet Ave traffic models at both peak and non-peak
times.
Roundabouts do require more area, which means more right-of-way acquisition.
At this time, no total acquisitions are required.
However, there are some significant acquisitions required.
Required splitter islands for roundabouts also require removing two-direction access to
approximately 12 driveways along the corridor.
Right-of-way and access impacts will be reviewed at the meeting.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
A.HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Phase 1: Hennepin County has included a reconstruction of Nicollet Ave from 77 th to 66th Streets in their
Capital Improvement Program for 2026 construction. Design development began in summer of 2023 and
public engagement began with an initial open house on August 22, 2023 at the Augsburg Park Library. This
phase also included pop up events at Penn Fest and the Richfield Farmer’s Market. This phase identified key
themes for the project to address:
a.including walking/biking safety
b.intersection safety
c.vehicle speeds
d.localized congestion.
Phase 2: Feedback received in Phase 1 was incorporated into the project’s Problem Statement, which is
intended to guide the selection of project-specific solutions to address the problems identified, as well as be
the gauge to measure the success of the future roadway. The problem statement for this project reads:
There is a need to improve safety and comfort for people who travel along and across Nicollet Avenue,
including people walking, rolling, riding bicycles, taking the bus, and driving a personal vehicle. The dated
corridor doesn’t address all modes equitably and needs modernization to serve the needs of the community
for the next 50+ years. The corridor is uninviting, lacking in aesthetics, environmental sustainability, green
space, vegetation, and street lighting. Finally, the pavement quality and ADA facilities do not meet
Hennepin County or City of Richfield standards.
Residents were asked their opinion of various lane configurations, bicycle facilities, and intersection treatments
at this stage. Open House #2 was held in October 2023 at the Richfield Community Center. This phase also
included a virtual open house and a pop up event at Richfield High School’s conferences.
Phase 3: This phase built on Phase 2 by applying the preferred tools to specific intersections. Residents were
offered the opportunity to express their preference at each intersection along the entire corridor. Open House
#3 was held at the Richfield Community Center in February 2024. This phase also included a virtual open
house.
CURRENT PHASE:
The attached layout is the result of a combination of public input, Transportation Commission input, staff input,
and City/County plans and policies. The current layout creates a corridor that staff believes achieves all of the
goals set forth in the project’s problem statement.
Current proposal
A 3-lane cross section for a majority of the corridor
A single direction separated bike lane on each side of the street (cycle track)
Widened sidewalks
Roundabouts for intersection control at 76th, 73rd, 70th, and 67th Streets.
Raised concrete medians, which restrict through traffic and left turns to minimize angle crashes and
allow a safer crossing for pedestrians, at 74th, 71st, and 69th Streets.
Raised crosswalks and “bumpouts” for all side street crossings parallel to Nicollet Ave to increase
pedestrian visibility and decrease crossing distance.
Plantable boulevard space for the entire length of the corridor with space for trees and improved lighting
B.EQUITABLE OR STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS OR IMPACTS
Equity: Nicollet Ave serves as a regional route, with the majority of vehicle traffic made up by through trips and
nearly 75% of all trips that end in the project area originating outside of Richfield. This project presents an
opportunity to ensure that residents who live within the project area are not disproportionately negatively
affected by the regional traffic and are able to access improved pedestrian and bicycle amenities that create a
safer street for residents.
Strategic: This project presents opportunities for the City to encourage infrastructure that supports service
needs and prioritizes climate resilience.
C.POLICIES (resolutions, ordinances, regulations, statutes, exc):
Designers for the project have been asked to reference the City's Complete Streets Policy, Guiding Principles
for Transportation Projects, Bicycle Master Plan, Pedestrian Master Plan, Active Transportation Action Plan,
Public Engagement Policy, and Safe Routes to School Comprehensive Plans as guiding documents for their
design.
D.CRITICAL TIMING ISSUES:
Staff are requesting feedback from this joint meeting of the City Council and Transportation Commission in
advance of a forthcoming Open House #4 in June/July 2024, prior to presenting the project to City Council for
approval in late summer/early fall 2024.
E.FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The current cost estimate for the project is roughly $21 million, of which Richfield has estimated around $10
million of city participation based on the County's cost-participation policy and previous projects. The final cost
participation for the city will be dependent on right of way acquisition needs, design costs, construction bid, and
betterments requested by the City.
F.LEGAL CONSIDERATION:
None at this time
ALTERNATIVE(S):
PRINCIPAL PARTIES EXPECTED AT MEETING:
Matt Huggins, Hennepin County Project Manager Jessa Trboyevich, Hennepin County Design Division Lead
Tyler McLeete, Stantec Project Manager Miranda Swanson, Stantec Project Engineer Dan Edgerton, Zan
Associates Engagement Lead Graham J ohnson, S E H Traffic Engineer
AT TAC H ME N T S:
D escription Type
June 5th Transportation C ommission Meeting P acket E xhibit
AGENDA
RICHFIELD TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING
JOINT MEETING WITH CITY COUNCIL
BARTHOLOMEW ROOM, CITY HALL
Wednesday, June 5th, 2024, 7:00 PM
Attachment
1.Call meeting to order
2.Review & approve agenda
3.Review & approve minutes for April 3rd, 2024 meeting #1
4.Nicollet Ave Discussion #2
5.External Grant Funding Update
6.Project Updates
7.Other Business
8.Upcoming events/meeting(s)
a)Wed, July 3rd, 7:00pm: Transportation Commission Meeting
9.Adjournment
MINUTES
RICHFIELD TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING
BARTHOLOMEW ROOM, CITY HALL
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024, 7:00 PM
Commission Members in attendance: Husniyah Bradley (Chair), Jim Mahoney, McKenzie
Burke, David Gepner, Eli Straub, Adam Knosalla, Lou Dzierzak, Stacey Fuentes
Alex Valle-Osornio
Not in Attendance: Jaz Warren
Liaisons: Sean Hayford Oleary, Michael Devane
City Staff: Joe Powers, Matt Hardegger, Olivia Wycklendt
1.Call meeting to order
Chair Bradley called the meeting to order at 7:01 PM
2.Review & approve agenda
Motion by Commissioner Mahoney to approve agenda. Second by Commissioner
Gepner. Motion carried.
3.Review & approve minutes for February 7th, 2024 meeting
Motion by Commissioner Mahoney to approve previous meeting minutes. Second by
Commissioner Burke. Motion carried.
Transportation Engineer Matt Hardegger introduced a new commissioner Stacey
Fuentes, and the Commission gave her a warm welcome.
4.Pavement Management Program
Civil Engineer Olivia Wycklendt gave a presentation on the City’s pavement
management program. This presentation covered the history of the city’s pavement
management plan, current plan and treatments, city-wide road conditions and future
plans for our pavement network.
Councilmember Sean Hayford O’Leary asked whether there were any sensors
attached to the vehicles or if it was just the camera footage being analyzed.
Wycklendt said that yes, it is just a camera, the software is more commonly adopted
in Europe, as the software is based there.
Commissioner Gepner inquired why some segments on the Pavement Condition Index
Map presented were yellow (i.e. lower-scoring and in worse condition) when the
surrounding areas were greener (i.e. higher-scoring and in better condition).
Wycklendt replied that several roads throughout the City were not part of the Mill and
Overlay program due to future construction projects. Additionally, small portions of a
road segment could heavily skew the score of that segment as the condition of a
roadway segment is averaged.
Chair Bradley asked if most of the roads as a part of the Mill and Overlay project were
new and followed up with another question asking the age of the roads themselves.
MINUTES
Wycklendt answered saying that the surface of the roads is new, however the base of
the roads is original. She added that the base of the roads in Richfield were
approximately 50-60 years old.
Two sample asphalt cores were passed around and examined by the Commission and
Liaisons. Commissioner Gepner asked if a total depth of 6” of bituminous was typical
for most roads. Wycklendt said that most roads had a bituminous pavement thickness
of 4-6”.
Commissioner Dzierzak asked if the City will need to mill and overlay large areas of
the City again in the future or manage spots in smaller areas to avoid doing them all
at once. Wycklendt responded saying that the City will be able to be more proactive
with their pavement management program with the help of new technology, Road AI,
and that by consolidating project areas we can treat the City’s roads efficiently.
Dzierzak followed the response by asking if traffic counts are factored into predicting
future road conditions. Transportation Engineer Hardegger answered that we don’t
have any way to get comprehensive traffic data to forecast that, but theoretically it
would help project future needs.
Commissioner Gepner expressed his pride for the roadway condition prior to the city-
wide Mill and Overlay project, and asked if currently the City has enough data to tell
whether the new technology is working. Wycklendt replied that sealcoating was a
good treatment tool in the past, however it had been overutilized which resulted in
the Mill and Overlay project. As for whether the new technology is working, it is still
too early to tell, she added.
Councilmember Sean Hayford O’Leary inquired about how the City decides whether a
road is Milled and Overlaid or fully reconstructed, and if there is an expectation that a
future reconstruction will be needed for the streets that were a part of the mill and
overlay program. Powers responded saying that the base of most of the roads
throughout Richfield is in good condition, and that the sandy soils the roads are built
on help maintain the longevity of the structure of a roadway. Typically, a full
reconstruct is chosen over a mill and overlay because there is a need to update or
add sidewalks or trails, move a curb line, or repair or install new utilities along a road
segment. As far as the roads that were a part of the Mill and Overlay program are
concerned, the City is hoping to do another mill and overlay on them prior to a full
reconstruction in any case, he added. Councilmember Hayford O’Leary asked if alley
condition is tracked as well, to which Powers answered that yes but that’s typically
done with a visual assessment rather than an AI program like Road AI.
Chair Bradley inquired if when an asphalt core is taken, is the core put back or is it
replaced with something. Wycklendt replied that we typically use cold patch mix to fill
in the core hole. Powers added that the City chose to forego doing a large amount of
asphalt cores throughout the City to avoid having hundreds of holes in the roadway.
Additionally, the City had a trustworthy contractor several years in a row who
exhibited good work, so coring wasn’t as necessary.
5. Nicollet Avenue Discussion
Transportation Engineer Matt Hardegger kicked off the Nicollet Avenue Presentation
on behalf of Hennepin County, to showcase their public engagement results thus far
and what the next steps are for the project.
MINUTES
Hardegger brought up that while the open houses have not been the most
representative of the community, other public engagement measures like going to
Penn Fest, high school conferences, and the virtual open houses have been.
In general, he announced that the key findings from the first two phases of
engagement were that there was a desire from the public to prioritize walking and
biking along the corridor, improving intersections for all modes of transportation,
addressing speeding, improving safety, and improving greenery and aesthetics along
the corridor.
He shared that the most popular roadway configuration from all community
engagement has been the one-way cycle tracks with sidewalk on both sides, followed
by two-way cycle track on one side of street and lastly the sidewalk and side path
option. Hardegger added that the County has been in contact with three-rivers park
district, and that Three-Rivers would consider a pair of one-way bikeways to be
classified as a bike trail in the future.
Chair Bradley asked if the preferred option, the one-way cycle track, would possibly
take more properties than the other options. Hardegger responded saying that this
option will have some more ROW impacts compared to the other options, however it’s
anticipated it would be quite small.
City Engineer Powers added that to minimize ROW impacts certain elements
excluding the trail and sidewalk could be narrowed.
Commissioner Dzierzak asked for clarification if the preferred option has been the one
the commission has generally shown support for in the past, which Hardegger
confirmed to be true.
Chair Bradley asked if trees would be cut down as a result of this project.
Transportation Engineer Hardegger stated that he would not be surprised if some
trees were removed as a part of the project, however the City intends to plant more
trees than are removed.
Commissioner Gepner asked if the roadway for Nicollet Ave would waver or be more
like a straight shot like 66th St. Powers answered that the graphics provided show just
a straight segment of Nicollet Ave and that the roadway segment would likely waver a
bit.
The Commission confirmed that they are recommending the one-way bikeway trails
and 3-lane corridor to the County for the corridor design.
Hardegger then presented the options for each of the intersections for the corridor,
starting with 76th St. He mentioned that 76th St would be the connecting point for
Nicollet Avenue for a three-rivers park district trail.
Commissioner Gepner asked if staff felt there still was a negative stigma with
roundabouts, to which City staff replied that for the most part roundabouts are being
viewed in a more favorable way over time. Hardegger added that from a cost savings
perspective, a signal and a roundabout are comparable in price to construct.
Commissioner Dzierzak asked if the City had a sense of traffic patterns on Nicollet
Avenue, specifically where and which way traffic is going along the corridor.
Hardegger answered that while he doesn’t have an exact idea of traffic, he does know
volumes are consistent throughout the corridor going both North and South. A
MINUTES
significant amount of traffic on Nicollet Avenue is traveling straight through Richfield
along the corridor, Powers added.
Chair Bradley mentioned that she has noticed many vehicles go straight through
Nicollet Ave from 76th St to 66th St, and that roundabouts help traffic continue to flow
rather than being stopped at a traffic light.
Commissioner Dzierzak expressed concern about traffic backing up in the afternoons
and mornings during rush hour and school pick-up and drop-off. Hardegger
responded that roundabouts are a great self-regulator for traffic and would be
beneficial for traffic during these times.
Chair Bradley asked if this would move the bus stop at the southeast corner of 76th
St. The relocation of that bus stop largely depends on the potential for a Bus-Rapid-
Transit route on Nicollet Ave, Hardegger said.
Overall, the Commission agreed with the public engagement popular opinion, which
was to place a roundabout at this section.
Hardegger moved on to 75th St, where the two options were to have bump outs on
the side streets or two close off left turns through the use of concrete medians. The
community preference thus far has been for an intersection with just bump outs.
Commissioner Stacey Fuentes asked if the concrete medians could be added in at
after the project is completed, should it be determined, that concrete medians would
make the intersection safer.
Hardegger said the concrete bump out option, which would prohibit east-west
movement across the intersection could be retrofitted after the fact for this project,
however it would likely not implement until 5 years after the completion of the
project.
Councilmember Hayford O’Leary stated that having the concrete median provides a
benefit to pedestrians that outweighs the inconvenience of being unable to make left
turns at this intersection. He mentioned overall this corridor would be better if some
of these intersections were blocked off with concrete medians.
Commissioner Mahoney expressed his support for the concrete medians, stating that
even with the concrete medians there are plenty of ways to get through the
neighborhood. He added this infrastructure would greatly improve the walkability of
the neighborhood.
Commissioner Fuentes asked if the concrete medians would have a negative impact
on neighboring roads. Commissioner Eli Straub chimed in stating that roundabouts
should be placed in close enough proximity where if someone needed to make a left
turn, a roundabout should be in close enough proximity to turn left or make a U-turn
to go north toward their “missed” exit.
Chair Bradley added that traffic may decrease on Nicollet Avenue in the future with
the removal of the 494 on and off ramps south of 76th St.
Commissioner Burke commented that having a design with the concrete medians
would funnel traffic onto 76th St, 73rd St, and 70th St to get to their destinations, and
that could have a negative impact on those neighborhoods.
MINUTES
Councilmember Hayford O’Leary responded saying that there would be an increase in
cars, however it would likely be a negligible amount.
The Commission was divided on whether bump outs or bump outs and median were
the best option but were in agreement about looking at the corridor as a whole prior
to reaching a decision.
Commissioner Dzierzak inquired if 73rd St was always meant to be used as a major
cut-through, given that it’s one of the few streets that crosses the railroad tracks.
Hardegger responded that while he’s unsure as to why 73rd St was chosen
specifically, however it was at some point in Richfield’s City designated as a collector
street and is used as such to this day.
The Commission agreed with having a roundabout at 73rd St.
Commissioner Dzierzak expressed that he sees a lot of high school students use 70Th
St and Nicollet to get to high school, as well as family’s and residents walking to the
park and the community center. He stated he felt that a signal was better at this
intersection as it would make pedestrians feel safer crossing.
Commissioner Straub countered that he felt that roundabouts feel safer to him as a
pedestrian and driving as it’s harder to “blow through” a roundabout and that drivers
must be more vigilant to navigate the roundabout rather than a signalized
intersection.
Hardegger added that traffic signals are not used as safety devices, and that this
intersection is one of the more dangerous intersections along the corridor historically.
The Commission moved onto the intersection at 67th St, where the two options were
either a roundabout or a signalized intersection. Commissioner Adam Knosalla
mentioned that traffic from the school west of Nicollet Avenue often contributes to
traffic in the mornings and afternoons due to school pick up and drop off.
Commissioner Straub voiced his support for a roundabout at this intersection, stating
that a roundabout would keep traffic constantly moving rather than having start and
stop traffic that you would see with a signalized intersection.
Generally, the Commission was supportive of the roundabout at 67th St, however the
pedestrian safety is the top concern for this intersection overall.
After reviewing the different intersection treatments, the Commission then went
through the remaining intersections, and voted on which treatment they
recommended based on the group’s discussion as well as the public engagement
feedback. The results were as follows:
Cross-Street Closed Median with bump
outs (# of Votes)
Side Street Bump outs
(#of Votes)
75th St 2 7
The Commission recommended an open intersection with side street bump outs at
75th St and Nicollet Ave.
Cross-Street Closed Median with bump
outs (# of Votes)
Side Street Bump outs
(#of Votes)
74th St 9 0
MINUTES
The Commission recommended a closed intersection with a concrete median and
side-street bump outs at 74th St and Nicollet Ave.
Cross-Street Median Crossing with
Bump outs (# of Votes)
Side Street Bump outs
(#of Votes)
72nd St 6 3
The Commission recommended a closed intersection with a concrete median and
side-street bump outs at 74th St and Nicollet Ave.
Cross-Street Closed Median with
bump outs (# of
Votes)
Side Street Bump
outs (#of Votes)
Hybrid Option of
Pedestrian Islands that
Traffic curves around
71st St 0 0 9
The Commission unanimously recommended a hybrid option of a closed intersection
with pedestrian islands or medians that would the two lanes would need to maneuver
around at 71st St and Nicollet Ave.
Cross-Street Closed Median with bump
outs (# of Votes)
Side Street Bump outs
(#of Votes)
69th St 5 4
The Commission recommended a closed intersection with a concrete median and
side-street bump outs at 69th St and Nicollet Ave.
Cross-Street Closed Median with bump
outs (# of Votes)
Side Street Bump outs
(#of Votes)
68th St 5 4
The Commission recommended a closed intersection with a concrete median and
side-street bump outs at 68th St and Nicollet Ave.
The Commission was unanimously supportive of having roundabouts at the
intersections of 76th St, 73rd St, 70th St, and 67th St on Nicollet Ave.
6. Project Updates
Civil Engineer Olivia Wycklendt provided a brief project update on 65th St, stating that
work on punch list items will likely begin within the next month.
Transportation Engineer Hardegger provided a few brief project updates.
The 494 Project work will begin on April 16th, where residents can expect lane
closures and overnight closures. The project will have greater impacts on Richfield
this summer compared to last summer.
The 71st St SRTS construction is slated to start at the beginning of the school year in
later 2024.
The 66th St and Richfield Parkway project is currently out for bids, with the hopes to
reward the bid to a contractor in about 2 weeks’ time.
MINUTES
The highway 62 noise wall design plans have been approved, with construction slated
for summer of 2025.
The 73rd St SRTS Trail has a consultant working on a final design, and it will be
formally constructed by the end of 2025.
7.Other Business
Councilmember Hayford O’Leary noted that from the last city council work session
there is some concerns from the school district regarding the change in speed limits,
specifically on 76th/77th St. The speed limits on that street will not be changed until
later this year after the district has done additional research and analysis.
He is also mentioned that there would an upcoming work session to discuss the
installation of a pocket park in the open area north of 65th St and Pillsbury Ave.
Michael Devane announced a splash pad will be finished by the end of July and will be
free to use at the Richfield Public Pool.
Hardegger shared on behalf of Tim that the SRTS will be updated with the help of City
staff, and that a grant was awarded to ensure that there will be a SRTS coordinator
for the next 3 years.
8.Upcoming events/meeting(s)
The next regularly scheduled Transportation Commission Meeting is on Wednesday,
May 1st.
9.Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 9:02 PM.
AGENDA SECTION: Nicollet Ave Discussion
AGENDA ITEM #: 4
WORK SESSION REPORT
JOINT TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION – CITY COUNCIL MEETING
6/5/2024
REPORT PREPARED BY: Matt Hardegger, Transportation Engineer
5/29/2024
ITEM FOR MEETING:
Nicollet Avenue Design Update
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
County Staff have been following the city’s public engagement policy to develop a preferred
concept for the Nicollet Avenue reconstruction. There have been three phases of
engagement with the public and other stakeholders to develop the current design. All phases
included an open house, a virtual open house, pop up events, and other direct engagement
with the public and other stakeholders. At each phase, the Transportation Commission has
been briefed on the engagement activities and provided input into features of the corridor. In
advance of the 4th phase of engagement and contacting adjacent residents regarding
identified property impacts, the project team is seeking to update the City Council on the
project’s progress and receive input on several design areas to further refine the project
concept and layout.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Phase 1: Hennepin County has included a reconstruction of Nicollet Ave from
77th to 66th Streets in their Capital Improvement Program for 2026 construction.
Design development began in summer of 2023 and public engagement began
with an initial open house on August 22, 2023 at the Augsburg Park Library.
This phase also included pop up events at Penn Fest and the Richfield
Farmer’s Market. This phase identified key themes for the project to address:
a. including walking/biking safety
b. intersection safety
c. vehicle speeds
d. localized congestion.
Phase 2: Feedback received in Phase 1 was incorporated into the project’s
Problem Statement, which is intended to guide the selection of project-specific
solutions intended to address the problems identified, as well as be the gauge
to measure the success of the future roadway. The problem statement for this
project reads:
There is a need to improve safety and comfort for people who travel
along and across Nicollet Avenue, including people walking, rolling,
riding bicycles, taking the bus, and driving a personal vehicle. The dated
corridor doesn’t address all modes equitably and needs modernization to
serve the needs of the community for the next 50+ years. The corridor is
uninviting, lacking in aesthetics, environmental sustainability, green
space, vegetation, and street lighting. Finally, the pavement quality and
ADA facilities do not meet Hennepin County or City of Richfield
standards.
Residents were asked their opinion of various lane configurations, bicycle
facilities, and intersection treatments at this stage. Open House #2 was held in
October 2023 at the Richfield Community Center. This phase also included a
virtual open house and a pop up event at Richfield High School’s conferences.
Phase 3: This phase built on Phase 2 by applying the preferred tools to specific
intersections. Residents were offered the opportunity to express their
preference at each intersection along the entire corridor. Open House #3 was
held at the Richfield Community Center in February 2024. This phase also
included a virtual open house.
CURRENT PHASE:
The attached layout is the result of a combination of public input, Transportation Commission
input, staff input, and City/County plans and policies. The current layout creates a corridor
that staff believes achieves all of the goals set forth in the project’s problem statement.
Current proposal
i. A 3-lane cross section for a majority of the corridor
ii. A single direction separated bike lane on each side of the street (cycle
track)
iii. Widened sidewalks
iv. Roundabouts for intersection control at 76
th, 73rd, 70th, and 67th Streets.
v.Raised concrete medians, which restrict through traffic and left turns to
minimize angle crashes and allow a safer crossing for pedestrians, at
74th, 71st, and 69th Streets.
vi.Raised crosswalks and “bumpouts” for all side street crossings parallel to
Nicollet Ave to increase pedestrian visibility and decrease crossing
distance.
vii. Plantable boulevard space for the entire length of the corridor with space
for trees and improved lighting
DIRECTION NEEDED:
Staff are seeking direction from Council on the following areas:
Right of Way Impacts and Acquisition
o The current proposal attempts to center the roadway within the “perceived” right
of way, meaning that regardless of where the actual right of way line is, the
distance from the back of walk to the front door of the adjacent
houses/businesses is kept roughly equal for both sides of the street. This
design does require a considerable amount of sidewalk easements to be
acquired.
o There is an alternate option to try to center the roadway within the existing right
of way to limit the need for easement acquisition. The current road is not
centered in the right of way, so this option may present challenges where the
back of sidewalk is considerably closer to residences/businesses on one side of
the street.
This option may still require limited sidewalk easements and a costly
relocation of a significant section of a large diameter gas transmission
line.
Raised concrete medians and associated movement and access closures
o Based on Transportation Commission input, closed medians were included at
half of the non-roundabout intersections. These treatments create a safer
roadway by allowing a pedestrian refuge and greatly reducing the possibility of
right-angle crashes along the corridor.
o Medians would restrict two-direction access to 6 driveways in the vicinity of 69th
Street.
o Medians would restrict left turns and through movements at 74th, 71st, and 69th
Streets, requiring residents who use those streets to use adjacent parallel
streets or roundabouts on the corridor to access their destinations.
Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs)
o No intersections on the corridor meet the County’s warrants for an enhanced
crossing with an RRFB.
o If RRFBs are desired, the City would be responsible for the full cost to construct
the signals. Staff are working to determine whether the City or County would
own and maintain the RRFB equipment.
Raised Parallel Crosswalks
o Raised crosswalks are proposed for three reasons:
Improve pedestrian visibility by increasing the relative height of a
pedestrian to a driver.
Allow pedestrians and bicyclists, traveling along Nicollet Ave, to continue
on a consistent path without a “roller coaster” effect with steep
pedestrian ramps at intersections.
Slow traffic crossing the pedestrian and bicycle paths by introducing a
visual and physical cue that a driver is entering neighborhood streets.
Intersection Control (Roundabouts vs. Signals)
o From a safety perspective, roundabouts perform at a significantly higher level
than signals by reducing potential conflict points and drastically lowering the
chance of a severe right-angle or head-on crash.
o From a vehicle delay modeling standpoint, both roundabouts and signals
perform acceptably.
Roundabouts do perform better in the Nicollet Ave traffic models at both
peak and non-peak times.
o Roundabouts do require more area, which means more right-of-way acquisition.
At this time, no total acquisitions are required.
However, there are some significant acquisitions required.
o Required splitter islands for roundabouts also require removing two-direction
access to approximately 12 driveways along the corridor.
Right-of-way and access impacts will be reviewed at the meeting.
Nicollet Avenue reconstruction
County Road 52 in Richfield
Phase 1: Experiences | Engagement summary
Project overview
Hennepin County is planning to reconstruct CSAH 52 (Nicollet Avenue) between 66th Street and 77th
Street in 2026-2027. As part of the design process for this project, the county is doing community and
stakeholder engagement to inform project design in 2023 and 2024. Engagement for this phase included:
•Open house and companion virtual open house
•Pop-up event at Richfield Penn Fest
•Pop-up event at Richfield Farmer’s Market
•Initial contacts with 10+ community organizations
The following is a summary of each of the community engagement activities included in phase 1.
Open house
On the afternoon of Tuesday, August 22, members of the project team
hosted an open house to gather input from people who use the Nicollet
Avenue corridor, which was attended by approximately 70 people.
Public input was collected through a variety of methods: questionnaire
handed out at the meeting, comments on a map via post-it notes, and
direct conversations with project staff. In addition, input was collected
virtually via an online survey and interactive project map.
The following is a summary of the meeting, including key findings. A full
listing of the comments received, as well as a tabulation of questionnaire
results, are included as attachments to this document.
Meeting purpose
•Provide a project overview and establish project constraints
•Share existing conditions data and mapping
•Collect input on existing community experiences
•Discuss next steps
Date/time
•August 22, 2023 from 4 – 7 p.m.
•Augsburg Park Library, Meeting Room, 7100 Nicollet Avenue, Richfield, MN 55423
Meeting promotions
•Postcard mailing to all of the physical addresses within one quarter mile of the corridor
•Email invitation to those on the city and county project lists
Open house participants completing
the mapping activity
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page2
•Social media posts on city and county channels
•Direct invitations via Richfield Transportation
Commission members
•Flyers hand delivered to retail businesses in the area
•Flyers affixed to bicycles parked at the bicycle racks at
the HUB shopping center
•Yard signs and sidewalk decals placed outside in high
activity areas
Written comments received
•Questionnaires submitted at meeting: 42
•Questionnaires submitted electronically: 58
•In-person map comments: 44
•Electronic map comments: 55 (plus 86 up votes and 24
down votes)
Participant demographics
Meeting participants were asked to self-select demographic
characteristics via an interactive exercise at the meeting and a
series of questions on the questionnaire form (both in person
and online). The activity and questions were voluntary and not all
respondents participated. Table 1 shows the results of that
activity. The following are key findings:
•58% were age 55 and over
•85% identified as white and 3% identified as
Black/African American or Hispanic/Latino, respectively
•58% used she/her pronouns
•7% had a disability
•94% spoke English and 6% spoke Spanish
Key themes
The following are key themes from the input collected at the
meeting, including written comments on the map, comments
submitted via the meeting questionnaire, and comments from
conversations with project staff.
Walking and biking safety: Many commented that walking and biking in the area feels unsafe and
uncomfortable. People raised issues with traveling both along and across Nicollet Avenue. Common
themes include poor sidewalks, no dedicated bicycle infrastructure, and difficulty crossing Nicollet
Avenue. Safety for people walking across Nicollet Avenue was a specific concern with locations like the
intersections near Augsburg Park, 66th Street, 73rd Street, 76th Street, and 77th Street being mentioned
frequently.
Safety at intersections: Several people commented that intersections along the corridor are unsafe. It can
be difficult to cross or turn in a vehicle, particularly during peak periods. The most common locations
mentioned were 73rd Street, 76th Street, and 66th Street. Some people also expressed concern over the
existing pedestrian crossing medians with driver visibility of people walking across the street, and the
Table 1: Participant demographics, open
house and virtual open house
Age
66+ 31%
55 - 64 27%
35 - 44 17%
25 - 34 9%
45 - 54 9%
18 - 24 4%
Under 18 2%
Race/Ethnicity
White 85%
Black or African
American 3%
Hispanic or Latino 3%
Asian or Asian
American 1%
No response 9%
Gender
Woman 58%
Man 36%
Non-binary 1%
Other 6%
Do you have a
disability?
No 93%
Yes 7%
Languages
English 94%
Spanish 6%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page3
ability of drivers to navigate around the medians as the most common issues. Others felt the existing
three-lane section along Nicollet Avenue is not safe because the center turn lane allows vehicles to pass
buses and other vehicles in an unsafe manner.
Vehicle speeds: Some people felt that excessive vehicle speeds and reckless driving on Nicollet Avenue are
a safety problem.
Vehicle operations: There were a number of comments calling for traffic signals throughout the corridor
and some comments saying there should not be any new traffic signals. Common locations mentioned
include 73rd Street, 72nd Street, and 70th Street. Some people felt that traffic congestion at the 66th
Street intersection is problematic, particularly during school arrival and dismal and other peak periods.
Trees, plantings, and green infrastructure: Several people expressed support for increasing the amount of
trees and greenspace along the corridor. The sentiment was that plantings improve aesthetics, can
increase safety for people walking and biking, and are good for the environment.
Roundabouts: People shared many opinions on roundabouts, both for and against. Some feel that they
improve safety and efficiency and others don’t like them because they are hard to navigate. Some
expressed a preference for single lane roundabouts over multilane. There were a number of comments
about increasing education efforts around roundabout use and some comments about increasing
education around traffic safety in general.
Richfield Penn Fest
On the afternoon of Sunday, September 17,
members of the project team attended Richfield’s
Penn Fest. Penn Fest is an “open streets” event,
where Penn Avenue is closed from 62nd to 76th
Street to motorized traffic and replaced with foot
traffic, bicyclists and skateboarders.
The project team collected input via one-on-one
conversations and comments on a map using post-
it notes, interacting with about 200 people in total.
The team also used a spinwheel activity with
Nicollet Avenue trivia to engage with both kids and
adults. Project staff also directed participants to the
website to participate in the virtual open house (i.e.,
survey and interactive map). Below is a summary of
the event and key findings. A full listing of the comments received are included as attachments to this
document.
Event purpose
• Provide a project overview and establish project constraints
• Collect input on existing community experiences
• Discuss next steps
• Meet people where they are at
Penn Fest participants talking with project staff
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page4
Date/time
• September 17, 2023 from 1 – 5 p.m.
• Penn Avenue in Richfield, close to the intersection of
69th Street West
Meeting promotions
• Penn Fest itself was promoted via a variety of methods,
including an event website and Facebook page
• Penn Fest was added to the project website and
interactive site
Written comments received
• In-person map comments: 67
Participant demographics
Meeting participants were asked to self-select demographic
characteristics via an interactive exercise at the event. The activity
and questions were voluntary and not all respondents
participated. Table 2 shows the results of that activity. The
following are key findings:
• 42% were under 18 – The project team interacted with
many families at this event.
• Asian or Asian Americans (29%), multiracial (29%) and
Hispanic/Latino (21%) were most represented
• 61% used she/her pronouns
• 20% had a disability
• 50% spoke English and 27% spoke Spanish and 19%
spoke Mandarin/Cantonese
Key themes
The following are key themes from the input collected at the
event, including written comments on the map and comments
from conversations with project staff.
Walking and biking safety: Pedestrians mentioned they avoid
walking on Nicollet Ave due to its infrastructure, how busy and unsafe the road is, and the lack of appeal.
Bikers want at least one designated bike lane throughout Nicollet Ave. Many bikers mentioned wanting
Nicollet Ave to replicate Portland Ave.
Safety at intersections: The intersection of 71st Street and Nicollet Ave (between the Richfield Community
Center and the Hennepin County Library) was mentioned often as a difficult place to cross. Some
residents recommended a marked or signal-controlled crosswalk to increase safety and visibility of
pedestrians and bikers.
Traffic congestion: The main reason why some residents avoid Nicollet Ave is due to traffic congestion and
difficulty of entering/exiting mall strips off 66th St and Nicollet Ave.
Table 2: Demographics activity results, Penn
Fest
Age
Under 18 42%
35 - 50 27%
50 - 65 15%
18 - 34 11%
66+ 4%
Race/Ethnicity
Asian or Asian
American 29%
More than one race 29%
Hispanic or Latino 21%
White 14%
Black or African
American 7%
Pronouns
She/Her 61%
He/Him 28%
They/Them 6%
Other 6%
Do you have a
disability?
No 80%
Yes 20%
Languages
English 50%
Spanish 27%
Mandarin/Cantonese 19%
Other 4%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page5
Vehicle speeds: The speed of vehicles was a big concern for residents that live, bike or walk near or along
the corridor, with a few suggesting speed traps to calm traffic.
Trees, plantings, and green infrastructure: Some participants suggested adding greenery along the
corridor, specifically native plants.
Roundabouts: Some residents said they didn't mind the roundabout off of 66th St and Nicollet Ave but
wished there was some consistency of having two-way lanes going north and southbound to match its
east and westbound counterparts to alleviate congestion.
Richfield Farmers Market
The morning of Saturday, October 7, the project team attended the Richfield Farmers Market during
“Active Aging Week.” The project team collected input via one-on-one conversations and comments on a
map using post-it notes, interacting with about 80 people in total. The team also used a spinwheel activity
with Nicollet Avenue trivia to engage with both kids and adults. Project staff also directed participants to
the website to participate in the virtual open house (i.e., survey and interactive map). The following is a
summary of the event and key findings. A full listing of the comments received are included as
attachments to this document.
Event purpose
•Provide a project overview and establish project constraints
•Collect input on existing community experiences
•Discuss next steps
•Meet people where they are at
Date/time
•October 7, 2023 from 8 a.m. – noon
•Veterans Park in Richfield, just off Portland Avenue and 64th Street
Meeting promotions
•The farmers market itself was promoted via a variety of methods, including on the City’s website
and Richfield Farmers Market Facebook page
•The farmers market was added to the project website and interactive site
Written comments received
•In-person map comments: 35
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page6
Participant demographics
Meeting participants were asked to self-select demographic
characteristics via an interactive exercise at the event. The activity
and questions were voluntary and not all respondents
participated. Table 3 shows the results of that activity. The
following are key findings:
• 75% were age 50 - 65
• White (50%) and Hispanic/Latino (50%) people were
most represented
• English (60%) Spanish (40%) were the most common
languages
Key themes
The following are key themes from the input collected at the
event, including written comments on the map and comments
from conversations with project staff.
Walking and biking safety: Bike lanes need to be wider and more
protected from traffic.
Safety at intersections: Menards parking lot and intersection is
problematic due to congestion and needing a left turn light.
Traffic congestion: Multiple people avoid 66th because it is too
congested because of the roundabout.
Roundabouts: People stated they avoid roundabouts because no one knows how to properly drive
through them. People requested information on how to properly drive through a roundabout. Others
stated they like roundabouts; they do what they are supposed to by slowing down traffic and helping with
congestion. Inconsistent types of roundabouts (single lane vs. two lane) causes confusion.
General: People stated they don’t want to see the same construction changes as they did to Portland
Avenue.
Questionnaire results
The following is a summary of the questionnaire results, including those submitted both online and in-
person. A complete tabulation of survey results is included as an attachment.
• When asked how do you currently travel and how you would prefer to travel, people showed a
desire to bike and take transit more and drive or use a rideshare less.
Table 3: Demographic activity results,
Farmers Market
Age
50 – 65 75%
18 – 34 25%
Race/Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino 50%
White 50%
Pronouns
She/Her 50%
He/Him 50%
Do you have a
disability?
No 100%
Yes 0%
Languages
English 60%
Spanish 40%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page7
•The most cited barriers to traveling along and
across Nicollet Avenue were vehicle traffic delays
when turning on and off of the corridor, traffic
congestion when traveling along the corridor, and
inadequate places to walk, roll, or bike.
•When asked what should be improved on
Nicollet Avenue, the most common responses were
improve traffic flow, improve pedestrian crossings,
and green infrastructure (trees and plantings).
Next steps
The next steps in the process for the project team are to consider the results of phase one engagement to
develop a problem statement and a range of potential tools to address the problems identified. This
information will be shared with community members during the second phase of community
engagement, tentatively planned for October 2023.
List of attachments
Attachment 1: Transcript of open house comments
Attachment 2: Transcript of Penn Fest comments
Attachment 3: Transcript of Farmers Market
Attachment 4: Questionnaire results
People at the open house
Attachment 1: Transcript of open house comments
Locational comments from map activity:
Location Comment
66th St Add elevated walking and biking paths on sidewalks similar to 66th St
66th St I feel safe at roundabouts on 66th St as a pedestrian using the flashing
lights to cross
70th St Left turn signals NB and SB
73rd St Do not make 73rd a through street
73rd St Stop light on 73rd
73rd St Flashing lights to cross at 73rd, raise curb on sidewalk to improve
pedestrian safety
76th St Left turn signals NB and SB
77th St Left turn signals NB and SB
Augsburg Park Improve bike connections from Nicollet Ave to Augsburg Park
Corridor- 69th St and
77th St
We walk between 69th St and 77th St using the side streets, why not use
alternative routes a block or two over for walking, rolling or biking?
Corridor- NB Nicollet
Ave from 76th St to
77th St
Please be careful of how you reconfigure Nicollet between 77th and 76th
St, as a driver I got honked at for not using the bike lane to turn
Corridor- Nicollet Ave,
Portland Ave, Lyndale
Ave S
Will not bike on Portland, Nicollet or Lyndale. Bike lane should be off the
street as speeding and distracted drivers are scary! I use side streets
instead
Corridor- W 76th St to E
66th St
One continuous bike lane connecting two streets
Intersection- 72nd St
and Nicollet Ave
Need safety lights at the pedestrian crosswalks
Intersection- 73rd St
and Nicollet Ave
Need safety lights at the pedestrian crosswalks
Intersection- E 69th St
and Portland Ave
EB left turn from 69th St to Portland Ave doesn’t work
Intersection- E 73rd St
and Nicollet Ave
Traffic lights
Intersection- E 73rd St
and Portland Ave
Traffic lights
Intersection- Nicollet
Ave and 66th St
The traffic usually moves pretty well, only bottleneck is rush hour at 66th
roundabout on Nicollet
Intersection- Nicollet
Ave and 70th St
I’d like a roundabout at Nicollet and 70th St, they help traffic flow, however
please not at every intersection
Intersection- Nicollet
Ave and 73rd St
Had a car accident at 73rd and Nicollet. Need roundabout at that
intersection, we always go down to 74th and Nicollet to turn because
there’s too much traffic at that intersection
Intersection- Nicollet
Ave and 76th St
We live near this intersection and do NOT want a roundabout here
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page9
Intersection- Nicollet
Ave and 77th St
Need left turn lane or roundabout going SB on Nicollet Ave at 77th St
Intersection- Nicollet
Ave and 77th St
NB and SB turn lanes at 77th to Nicollet, why only one way? Three lanes
Intersection- Nicollet
Ave and 77th St
As a car, intersection on Nicollet by Menards does not offer safe left turns
from all four directions; add a green arrow or a roundabout
Intersection- Nicollet
Ave and E 77th St
Left turn lane onto 77th on left turn arrow by Menards
Lyndale Ave S I currently bike Lyndale, 66th St or 75th St instead of biking Nicollet Ave
Nicollet Ave Needs a right turn lane into the Academy of Holy Angels/St. Peters parking
lot
Nicollet Ave When turning onto Nicollet Ave from side streets, medians get in the way
Nicollet Ave Will street parking on Nicollet on Sundays remain? It spills onto cross
streets
Nicollet Ave I don’t bike on Nicollet because the bike lane doesn’t feel safe
Nicollet Ave Congestion on Nicollet due to garbage, buses, delivery vehicles
Nicollet Ave Difficult to cross Nicollet as a pedestrian or cyclist, except at 70th, 66th and
76th
Nicollet Ave I drive down Nicollet because other modes of transportation are not safe;
biking isn’t safe and the sidewalks are slanted
Nicollet Ave Current crosswalks on Nicollet Ave don’t feel safe to cross, cars fly by
Nicollet Ave I’m happy with Nicollet as it is, I use it many times per week
Nicollet Ave Please don’t add any more roundabouts
Nicollet Ave Nicollet Ave needs an area for parking; garbage trucks and buses don’t
have enough room for cars to get by, they have to wait and cause
congestion
Nicollet Ave bridge Would like a nice safe crossing over Nicollet Ave bridge
Portland Ave Left turns onto Portland Ave are very tight. Could pedestrian refuge be
moved a few feet closer to mid-block?
Portland Ave Concerned it will be the same, passing on right observed on bike lane, bike
ped facilities, too short left turn lane
Richfield Community
Center
Add street parking for community center
W 66th St Likes the bikeway, positive
W 66th St Improve bike-safe options for bicyclists to turn right onto Nicollet
General comments from map activity:
Keyword Comment
Add lane(s) There are three driveways on this block, why does it need a center turn lane?
Add lane(s) Left turn lanes need to be long enough for two cars to wait to turn, there’s only
room for one
Add lane(s) Why so much money to redo these main roads to accommodate bikes when there
are so few bikes using it? I miss two lanes of traffic, even having no left turn lane if
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page10
using the second lane to drive in. Any future weather emergencies, etc. would cause
a total backup on all these one lane roads
Add lane(s) Add dedicated left turn lanes at lights going NB and SB
Add lane(s), traffic With 1 lane traffic in one direction, all traffic must stop and wait for all buses. With 2
lanes that didn’t happen. Also, people trying to go around stopped buses. I’ve
noticed going into the oncoming traffic L turn lane- a recipe for an accident
Biking Bikeway off street would support
Biking Protected bike lanes are always nice
Biking If bike lane is at sidewalk level (elevated), cars won’t park on the street
Biking, add lane(s) Raise bike lanes separate from the streets
Biking, add lane(s) Bike lane on each side of the street
Biking, add lane(s) More bike lanes
Biking, add lane(s) Put in bike lane, raised with sidewalk for safety; keep two lanes
Biking, crossing Better transition from on-street bike lane to crossing at sidewalks
Biking, ped Some people prefer to travel on quiet roads when walking and biking, but there is
also a need to have direct routes on busier roads to reach destinations via walking
and biking
Biking, ped, safety Educational component for bikers, ped lights, stop signs
Biking, roundabouts Bike lanes are positive, double lane roundabouts confusing
Biking, safety Protect bike lane from street, elevating it to sidewalk levels
Biking, safety Elevated bike lanes with on/off ramps to stay in the current footprint
Bus I like the good bus stop access
Crossing Raise all crosswalks to sidewalk level
Crossing Safer crossing locations
Crossing, ped Metered crossing for pedestrians with flashing lights
Crossing, roundabouts Include raised crossing at roundabouts
Crossing, safety Can crossings be moved south to improve safety and visibility?
Crossing, safety Speed bumps for crosswalks, please
Drive I usually drive on Nicollet, I don’t walk or bike it
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page11
Drive If most use autos, why make it more difficult for autos?
Green Please don’t add trees to boulevards, the city and county have enough difficulty
with simple maintenance of their roads, adding plantings like on 66th create more
work and look unkept
Green, visibility Blvd, trees, landscaping and lighting
Median Do you want center median forcing right turn?
Median Not a fan of median refuges
Median, biking, ped,
safety
The medians are very important as many cyclists and walkers can’t get across two
lanes without stopping
Median, ped Continue to have median to help with pedestrian crossing
Median, ped, crossing Keep median to aid pedestrian crossing
Misc Please use design plans that are practical and not trendy or what Edina, Minneapolis
or Bloomington are doing
Misc Keep taxes down
Misc How is this project being paid for? What are the City of Richfield’s responsibilities?
Misc Trouble backing out of driveways
Misc The room used for the open house was too small, there was bad sound, it was hard
to hear and there was an echo
Misc Will 494 construction affect anything?
Misc Please try to coordinate projects so that taxes don’t keep going up and the streets
aren’t always under construction
Ped Better walking for kids to get to school
Ped, crossing Please don’t use bump-outs or those very ugly white poles, find something more
pleasant looking. What about yellow pedestrian crossing lights?
Ped, medians Pedestrian design medians, too tight
Ped, repair Expand the sidewalks
Ped, safety Ped crossings are dangerous along the corridor
Ped, safety Safer walking path
Ramps, roundabouts,
biking
We need ramps on north side of roundabout for bicyclists
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page12
Repair Redo sidewalks
Repair The sidewalks are terrible
Repair Use of impervious material, especially on sidewalks and bike paths
Repair Fix the sidewalks throughout wider/level accessible on both sides
Repair Sidewalks are most necessary to improve
Repair Would like more non-car mobility. Wider and flatter sidewalks that 2-4 people can
use comfortably
Repair, ped Widen sidewalks for pedestrians
Roundabouts More roundabouts, save our tax dollars
Roundabouts More roundabouts
Roundabouts Love roundabouts
Roundabouts Please no more roundabouts, and don’t paint the middle of existing roundabouts
Roundabouts No more roundabouts
Roundabouts No more roundabouts
Roundabouts NO more roundabouts at all
Roundabouts More roundabouts
Roundabouts Roundabouts!
Roundabouts NO more roundabouts, at all
Roundabouts More roundabouts
Roundabouts No more roundabouts, do not further narrow the car lanes
Roundabouts Roundabouts are a must!
Roundabouts Forget the roundabouts, like on Lyndale
Roundabouts School buses now come down avenue, instead of roundabouts on Nicollet
Roundabouts Roundabouts are good, but I don’t like double lane ones
Roundabouts Roundabouts are largely positive
Roundabouts No more roundabouts
Roundabouts Roundabouts in moderation are effective
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page13
Roundabouts No more roundabouts. They destroyed Lyndale
Roundabouts Educational classes and campaigns for roundabouts
Roundabouts We love how roundabouts keep the traffic moving
Roundabouts, green,
biking
Roundabouts, green blvd, bike lanes
Roundabouts, safety,
biking, ped
Roundabouts- maintenance, not safe for bicyclists and pedestrians
Roundabouts, traffic,
green
No more roundabouts, single lanes are causing long backups with cars idling and
causing pollution
Safety Focus on safety at high-crash intersections
Safety Three lane center lane is used illegally for passing cars
Safety Heated bus shelter for 6 to 8 blocks
Safety, crossing Even the great crosswalks are dangerous when drivers ignore traffic safety laws
Safety, ped Improve safety for pedestrians
Speed Current speed limit is posted illegally (35 mph). Use bike lane speed exception to set
speed at 25 mph
Speed Develop method of reducing excessive speed passing for drivers
Speed Institute street diet to slow down car speeds
Speed Speed limits do not work
Speed, roundabouts Slow down speeding cars, somehow add more stops and roundabouts
Speed, traffic Want to see slower traffic
Traffic Traffic during drop-off and pick-up
Traffic We recognize that the more car traffic there is, we divert to other modalities like
biking
Traffic Need a stop light
Traffic, safety Two lane roads of the past created fast traffic and unsafe routes for all other road
users. Traffic calming is important for residents, and all road users to improve safety
Visibility Lighting post
Visibility Need more and better lighting, better than Portland Ave
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page14
Visibility Quality lighting at the pedestrian level
Visibility Red bright flashing lights for roundabout
Visibility Sight lines for future BRT electrical boxes
Attachment 2: Transcript of Penn Fest comments
Locational comments from map activity:
Location Comment
66th St Does not like 66th St
66th St Separate bike lanes from walking lines on 66th St
71th St We had asked for those crossings for years and we finally have them!
Please keep them and add crossing lights!
77th St Need a better signal at 77th St, no turn lane
Corridor- Nicollet Ave
from 67th St to 68th St,
eastside
Maintenance
Corridor- Nicollet Ave
to 67th St and Stevens
Ave
People are zipping through Nicollet to 67th St and Stevens in order to
avoid the roundabout
Hennepin County
Library
Yes! Keep the safe crossing at 71st St and 72nd St to get to the library! But
no roundabouts! They are unsafe
Hennepin County
Library
Keep safe crosswalks by library and park!
Intersection- 60th St
and 66th St
Less friendly to ride BRT on Portland at 60th and 66th; bus rides, takes away
bus stops, inconvenient, expensive to put in shelters, can’t trust the Met
Council
Intersection- 66th St
and Nicollet Ave
Speed has been kind of an issue off on 66th and Nicollet
Intersection- 66th St
and Nicollet Ave
Add two lanes all the way through roundabout (X3)
Intersection- 66th St
and Nicollet Ave
BMP maintenance, too many weeds
Intersection- 66th St
and Nicollet Ave
Concerned about cut through traffic with new development at 1st and
Stevens
Intersection- 68th St
and Nicollet
Walk/driveway panel
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page16
Intersection- 70th St
and Nicollet Ave
Move bike lane to just one lane on 70th and Nicollet
Intersection- 72nd St
and Nicollet Ave
Nice crosswalk options on 72nd and Nicollet Ave; add safety features like
flashing lights
Intersection- 72nd St
and Nicollet Ave
Add crosswalk with flashing lights!
Intersection- 72nd St
and Nicollet Ave
Mailbox drop-off access/coordination with postal service
Intersection- 73rd St
and Nicollet Ave
73rd and Nicollet needs traffic control, but if it’s a roundabout do NOT
make it like the Target one!
Intersection- 73rd St
and Nicollet Ave
NOT Portland Ave!
Intersection- 73rd St
and Nicollet Ave
Pedestrian crosswalk with lights at 73rd
Intersection- 73rd St
and Nicollet Ave
Add roundabout with flashing lights for pedestrians at 73rd and Nicollet
Intersection- 74th St
and Nicollet Ave
Improve sidewalks/add boulevards to make it safer and more comfortable
for pedestrians
Intersection- 75th St
and Nicollet Ave
Bad sidewalks
Intersection- 76th St
and Nicollet Ave
Speeding is an issue
Intersection- 76th St
and Nicollet Ave
Put parking bays where you have extra right-of-way, like this block
Lyndale Ave Does not love the sidewalks and bike lanes on Lyndale; doesn’t like the
roundabout
Lyndale Ave Add more greenery
Nicollet Ave Avoids Nicollet Ave
Nicollet Ave Side roads are less busy than taking Nicollet Ave
Nicollet Ave Add more designated bike lanes
Nicollet Ave Safety issues walking on Nicollet; add biking lanes on both sides, add a
crosswalk for 71st St
Nicollet Ave Speed has been an issue overall; add speed traps
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page17
Nicollet Ave Like on-street no medians
Nicollet Ave Striped buffer, no concrete
Nicollet Ave More pedestrian crossings!
Nicollet Ave Replace four-way stoplights with roundabouts! They are safer! And keep
educating folks on how to use them
Nicollet Ave Please build the Nicollet streetcar project! Even adding bus lanes would be
great!
Nicollet Ave If adding a roundabout, set lane designation signs back further so drivers
have more time to react and get in the correct lane
Nicollet Ave I don’t think Nicollet needs bikeway
Nicollet Ave Don’t like single lane with median if emergency vehicles can’t get through.
Does traffic calming work?
Nicollet Ave I live on 1st Ave S. I used to live on Portland Ave S. I dislike Portland Ave
and do not want it on Nicollet Ave. I prefer 4 lanes so cars and walkers can
cross; maybe a crosswalk at the library where the light would flash so
people would stop for walkers and bikers. PS the bright signs don’t work!
Portland Ave Love the sidewalks and bike lanes on Portland
Portland Ave Add more greenery
Walgreens, by 66th St Congestion when coming in and out of Walgreens; having safety
boundaries for bikers on roundabout would be helpful
General comments from map activity:
Keyword Comment
Accessibility There have got to be more ways to get downtown
Biking Likes on-street bike facility
Biking Like on-street bike facility, no concrete
Biking, add lane(s) More biking lanes would be nice to get to the library
Biking, add lane(s) Add more biking lanes like on Portland Ave
Green Add greenery
Positive Loves all the turning lanes!
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page18
Repair Sidewalks between the community center and library could use some work
Roundabout No roundabout needed
Roundabout Add educational materials for roundabouts if considered
Roundabout, biking,
safety
Bikes exiting the roundabout are in danger
Roundabout, ped Pedestrian crossing in roundabouts
Roundabout, ped Must have pedestrian lights at all roundabouts
Safety People don’t take turns when merging
Safety Two lanes of traffic is harder to cross
Traffic, transit Give space for the buses to get off the road to keep traffic flowing please
Traffic, transit Cars can wait for four buses an hour
Transit Need more transit options
Transit Don’t like the spaced out stops of the BRT lines
Transit, accessibility BRT and local services need accessibility
Visibility Visibility of other drivers
Visibility Improve visibility for RDBT (beacons)
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page19
Attachment 3: Transcript of Penn Fest comments
Locational comments from map activity:
Location Comment
66th St Like the cross walk blinking lights
66th St Too congested, especially when school is out
66th St Buses can’t make the turns
66th St Don’t take 66th because of bus transit and roundabouts
66th St Snow storage, be mindful for pedestrians. Watch for bus needs at hub
67th St Roundabout, 2 lanes
67th St No roundabout
67th St Improvement of traffic
70th St Roundabout is good
70th St Visible cross walks
71st St Highly visible cross walks to the library
73rd St More stop lights
73rd St Level sidewalks, difficult for wheelchairs
77th St Menards parking lot is problematic, causes uncertainty and congestion
77th St Need turn light at left turn into Menards
Portland exit by
freeway
Need stop sign for bike riders
Diamond Lake &
Nicollet
Needs a turn signal south (left)
General comments from map activity:
Keyword Comment
Biking Wide, protected bike lanes, it’s too dangerous for bicyclists
Biking Don’t feel safe riding bikes
Biking Cars drive in bike lane, need rules around what can ride in bike lane
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page20
Green No tall plants in roundabouts, hard to see over
Positive Don’t change it, like it how it is
Repair Improved sidewalks with separation from the street
Repair, construction Construction should happen in consecutive phases along corridor
Roundabout Too many and in unnecessary places
Roundabout Too small
Roundabout Prefer single lane, good with roundabouts if big enough
Roundabout Need information available on how to use roundabout
Roundabout Inconsistent roundabouts (1 lane vs. 2 lanes) causes confusion
Safety Speed reduction
Safety, roundabout Avoid roundabouts, people go too fast, worried about accidents
Transit Bus stops easier/out of way of traffic
Transit 10-foot lane is too narrow
Transit Pull out lanes for public transit
Transit Bump outs on curb where crossings are
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page21
Attachment 4: Questionnaire results
Q1 - What is your relationship with the corridor? Check all that apply.
Live within one block 39
Own a residential property 58
Own, manage or work at a business 9
Live in Richfield 78
Visit 18
Travel through 52
None of the above 0
Q2 - What is the zip code of your residence?
55420, 55423, 55424, 55431, 55434, 55105
Q3 - How often do you travel along/across Nicollet Avenue?
Daily 74
Every few days 20
About once a week 5
Once a month or so 1
Less than once a month 0
Q4 - How do you travel along/across Nicollet Avenue? Please select your top 3.
Walk/roll 54
Bike 33
Transit 15
Rideshare/taxi 10
Drive personal vehicle 91
Q5 - How would you like to travel along/across Nicollet Avenue? Please select your top 3.
Walk/roll 54
Bike 44
Transit 22
Rideshare/taxi 5
Drive personal vehicle 81
Q6 - What barriers do you experience when traveling along/across Nicollet Avenue? Check all that
apply.
Inadequate places to walk, roll or bike 34
Lack of safe places to cross when walking/biking 32
Lack of bus stop waiting areas 16
Traffic congestion and delays 48
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page22
Traffic delays when turning on to or off of Nicollet
Avenue 55
Other 17
Q6 - What barriers do you experience when traveling along/across Nicollet Avenue? Other
People driving too close behind me when I need to turn off of Nicollet
Better cross walks, very lit up, very obvious to drivers.
Lane restrictions due to the change to 3 lanes.
Traffic congestion due to pedestrians jaywalking and cyclists disregarding traffic laws.
All Lyndale traffic comes to Nicollet because of their roundabouts
Sidewalks: Help. Congestion at 77th & 66th
Walkers need a longer walk period on lights
Sidewalks are uneven for walking
All of these are only during rush hour, not a large issue, just minor annoyance
When we walk from 69th to 77th, we use side streets-- very little traffic, no exhaust fumes, etc.
Delays when garbage trucks, buses, delivery vans are stopped on Nicollet-- not enough room to get
around.
No. 2: safe spaces provided are great, however, many drivers ignore crosswalks.
Nicollet and 77th is a poor design for Southbound turns from Nicollet onto Eastbound 77th St
Traffic congestion at roundabouts during peak times due to peds crossing to change busses
Parked vehicles on all sides blocking view.
I get nervous walking with my kids because the sidewalk is so close to the road.
Q7 - What would you like improved on Nicollet Avenue? Please select your top 3.
Wider sidewalks 35
Improved bike options 29
Improved pedestrian crossings 48
Improved transit facilities 12
Improved traffic flow 52
Green infrastructure (plantings, trees, stormwater
management) 42
Other(s) 30
Q7 - What would you like improved on Nicollet Avenue? Other
Traffic light at 73rd - 73rd is a busy cross-street but it is hard to turn onto (especially a left turn) or
cross Nicollet since it was changed from a 4-lane (2 in each direction) to a 3-lane road because there
are fewer breaks on Nicollet
Improved sidewalks (don’t think they need to be wider) that are not cracked or falling apart
The roundabout at 66th and Nicollet is ridiculous. I appreciate the safety aspect but after 3:00 pm
every day (I work at 6605 Nicollet), traffic is backed up for blocks. Richfield is ripping up every
available roadway for the very few bike riders and walkers that come through. Let us have a couple of
roads with 2 lanes in each direction. and
i do not want nicollet to be like portland ave.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page23
Add roundabouts at 70th/Nicollet and 73rd/Nicollet. If both aren't possible, 73rd should be the
priority.
Return of Two lanes north and south!
Prioritize vehicle traffic and remove the incompetently implemented "pedestrian islands" that
constrict the roadway and cause unsafe conditions.
Traffic lights!!
I bike on side streets due to traffic and lack of appropriate bike lanes. I walk on side streets due to
traffic and poor sidewalks.
Improved traffic flow, Green infrastructure
Green infrastructure
Avoid area across from library due to transportation safety concerns
Avoid Nicollet and 77-76 due to transportation safety concerns
more shaded areas
right hand turn lane onto 67th when heading south (into Holy Angels lot)
Green infrastructure
Improved transit facilities - covered bus stops?
None of these-- it's fine the way it is.
73rd St flashing lights. Green infrastructure: Noooo! Current ones are not adequately cared for :(
Others: Curbs & sidewalks could be raised. Left turn signals both north and south on 70th, 76th,
and 77th.
More car lanes
Less traffic congestion
Also Improved Traffic Flow
Need to allow space for 2 cars in left turn lanes.
Flashing lights on 72nd/Nicollet or stop sign!
Also Improved Traffic Flow and Green Infrastructure
Also Improved Traffic Flow and Green Infrastructure
Also Improved Traffic Flow and Green Infrastructure
Improved Traffic Flow: Not sure how you intend to do this! You've messed it up already!
Limit the amount of cars parked right near the intersection.
a left turn arrow for southbound traffic to help the flow and safety of drivers heading east / to
Menards on 77th Street.
Q9 - What other ideas do you have for improving Nicollet Avenue?
Do not add another roundabout.
Improve traffic flow at pick-up and drop-off at AHA. Connect sidewalk on Nicollet Avenue to sidewalk
at AHA, so kids have to walk on road. Improve traffic flow in/out of Menards on 77th Street. Improve
traffic flow in/out of Andale, which gets busy too.
As I bicyclist, I would never use a street that is a heavily used traffic corridor. I do not want to share
the road with cars, even with protected bike lanes - I don't want to breathe exhaust fumes, and these
types of streets do not have the shade that less busy streets provide, making biking more comfortable
in the summer months. I support having bike lanes on adjacent, parallel streets, where I feel safer. I
would never bike down Nicollet even if there were new bike lanes.
Allow for future expansion of tram or LRT
light crossing by library so cars will stop so walkers and bikers can cross
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page24
More traffic circles
More roundabouts
slow traffic. more green.
Don't do more roundabouts.
Add roundabouts at 70th/Nicollet and 73rd/Nicollet. One at 73rd should be the priority. That
intersection is dangerous and deadly.
Consideration of passing emergency vehicles. Often times single lane roads create a hazard for
emergency vehicles when vehicles/metro transit don’t have space to move out of the way
Stop adding bike lanes to major arteries in the city.
I very much approve of the rebuild that was done to Portland from about 66th to about 76th streets a
couple years back. Only negative is that the double-long buses don't "fit" in the bus stops, they hang
out into the street and stop the flow of traffic. Please consider this when doing the Nicollet Av
redesign.
left turn lanes need to be at each intersection since there is no place to drive around them. causes
back-ups. people that have driveways on Nicollet have long waits to get on Nicollet
The roundabout on 66th and Nicollet can be problematic during rush hour and when Holy Angels lets
out school. Traffic is jammed. I also go to streets with a stoplight to get on Nicollet now as it’s
dangerous and hard to get on to Nicollet from side streets because of heavy traffic with the single
lane for cars.
Really nothing more than stated. Heated bus stops and lots of them would improve the lives of a lot
of people.
More flowers, public art, and a fund for people to do landscaping to their yards
I live right on Nicollet and I’m curious the impact of all these changes.
Traffic signal priority for buses, add lots of street trees that will grow large and cover the street with
shade, Make the drive lanes narrow (9-10 feet wide lanes help slow traffic and make the street safer.),
create protected bike lanes, and create continuous sidewalks (Raising the sidewalk to cross side
streets so that cars must go over the sidewalk, therefore becoming more aware of pedestrians).
Avoid adding roundabouts.
I don't actually think it's terrible now. I would hope to see increased focus on bikes, peds, plantings.
Sidewalk improvements must be included.
Roundabouts are a must!
More round-abouts! They are safer and faster. As long as those who don't understand them stay away
:)
more shade
GOOD/SAFE BIKE Lanes!
- 76th & Nicollet - not safe left turns all 4 directions as vehicle
- Crossing not at lights or roundabout as ped feels unsafe
Avoid biking in busy roundabout at 66th. I get off and walk. I don't trust cars there.
Nicollet Ave is great!
66th area approaching roundabout on bike is unsafe.
Make it BRT-ready, make it designed for 25 mph. Protected bike lane. Parking for community center.
It's hard to cross when walking at times. I avoid areas on Nicollet because of transportation related
safety concerns.
I'm fine with the way it is now.
In future open houses, please have reps. available who know about the data collected and financial
ramifications, including taxes.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page25
Please coordinate projects so that the streets in the city aren't under a constant state of construction.
There are already backups at the major street roundabouts. Please-- no more!
Consider that there will likely be more traffic on Nicollet after the 494 access closure.
There are some areas on Nicollet Ave I avoid because of transportation related safety concerns.
Elevate bike path to run along with walking/sidewalk-- see 66th Street!
I avoid 66th and Nicollet because of Roundabout.
Change it back to 4 lanes. No more roundabouts.
Left turn arrow on lane by Menards.
Mexican restaurant on 76th needs better in & out access.
No more roundabouts!
No more narrowing car lanes!
Keep freeway ramps open from Nicollet to 494!
I avoid crossing while walking when possible. I avoid biking north toward 66th, lose the bike lane.
72nd and Nicollet is unsafe-- need flashing lights! I need to cross here with my grandchildren-- park,
library. Cars won't stop! Or almost hit us!
More room on the sides for snow. It gets pushed up in my yard and gardens by snowplows. Green
space on sides of season.
I avoid the roundabouts
Easier walking for wheelchairs and the elderly.
I avoid Nicollet due to transportation safety related concerns when trying to cross while walking.
I avoid 73rd and Nicollet due to transportation related safety concerns
I will not bike or walk along Nicollet due to traffic safety. I walk and bike across Nicollet, but would like
to be able to walk and bike along Nicollet.
Traffic light at 73rd St
I travel along Nicollet daily, multiple times. Since you took out two lanes, waiting to get on to Nicollet
can be painful!!
Bike lanes are RARELY used!
You have made changes & more changes to Nicollet over the past 10 years! Why? This seems like
a gigantic waste of taxpayer money. You don't want input-- you want acceptance of another water
and more interruption of traffic. Why don't you just say that this project will be like Portland Ave? We
DO NOT need more bike lanes! We do not need more fancy sidewalks & lighting
Don't make it harder on cars
Do not construct Nicollet Ave in the same manner as Portland Ave.
Pedestrian lights for 73th, 72nd and 70th. These make it safe for pedestrians wanting to access the
library and Augsburg. If having one at 73rd and 72nd is too close it may be a good idea to have one at
74th, so there is a place to cross for pedestrians near that area for those walking to the high school.
Add crosswalks. Limit the number of people who can on the street to limit visibility restrictions.
A dedicated left-turn arrow for Southbound traffic heading East on 77th Street would greatly improve
the safety for cars attempting to turn left as well as for on-coming Northbound traffic. This
intersection has been neglected for several years and has needed a left-turn signal added to the
traffic light due to the high volume of traffic created by Menards, Assumption, My Credit Union,
Apartment buildings and other various businesses on 77th Street from Nicollet to Cedar.
Southbound Nicollet Ave needs to have a left turn light at 77th Street for traffic to better access
Menards and other businesses.
Sidewalks along Nicollet Avenue need to be redone as in the winter months they are full of ice as well
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 1 Summary Page26
as deep puddles when the ice and snow melt.
Improved transit stops with lights/heat/shelter along Nicollet Ave.
If the city wanted to build a brewery within walking distance of my house, maybe at 70th and Nicollet,
it would be of great personal benefit to me.
Nicollet Avenue reconstruction
County Road 52 in Richfield
Phase 2: Vision and tools | Engagement summary
Project overview
Hennepin County is planning to reconstruct CSAH 52 (Nicollet Avenue) between 66th Street and 77th
Street in 2026-2027. As part of the design process for this project, the county is doing stakeholder
engagement to inform project design. Engagement began in 2023 and will conclude in 2024. Engagement
for phase 2 included the activities listed below. The following is a summary of each of the community
engagement activities included in phase 2.
• In-person open house and companion virtual open house
• Contacts with 10+ community organizations
• Pop-up at Richfield High School conferences
Open house
On the afternoon of Tuesday, October 17, the project team hosted an in-person open house to gather
input from people who use the Nicollet Avenue corridor, which was attended by approximately 35 people.
Input was collected through a variety of methods: a questionnaire handed out at the meeting, dot stickers
on boards detailing potential design elements, a “build your own road” activity and direct conversations
with project staff. Input was also collected via an online version of the meeting questionnaire as part of a
virtual open house. The following is a summary of the meeting, including a summary of frequent
comments. A full transcript of the comments received is included an attachment to this document.
Meeting purpose
• Share phase 1 results: present
feedback to-date
• Problem statement/goals: confirm
the problem statement and project
goals
• Tools: solicit information on
community preferences and
priorities for tools
• Next steps: share next steps
Date/time
• October 17, 2023, from 4:30 – 6:30
p.m. (virtual open house available
Oct. 17 – Nov. 30)
• Richfield Community Center, 7000
Nicollet Avenue, Richfield
Figure 1: Project staff help an open house participant with the "build
your own road" activity
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page2
Meeting promotions
• Postcard mailing to all of the physical addresses within one quarter
mile of the corridor
• Email invitation to those on the city and county email lists
• Social media posts on city and county channels
• Direct invitations via Richfield Transportation Commission members
• Flyers hand delivered to retail businesses in the area
• Yard signs and sidewalk decals placed outside in high activity areas
along and adjacent/proximate to the corridor
Written comments received
• Questionnaires submitted at meeting: 20
• Questionnaire responses submitted electronically: 84
• In-person tools activity responses: 70+ responses across attendees
• In-person project cross-section activity responses: 20
Participant demographics
Meeting participants were asked to self -select demographic characteristics
via an interactive exercise at the meeting. The activity and questions were
voluntary and not all respondents participated. Table 1 shows the results.
The following are key findings:
• 81% were age 55 and over
• 89% identified as white and 5% identified as Black/African American
or Hispanic/Latino, respectively
• 69% used she/her pronouns
• 20% had a disability
• All participants were English speakers
Frequent themes and considerations
The following is a summary of frequent themes and considerations from the
input collected at the meeting, including results from the sticker activities,
the meeting questionnaire and direct conversations between participants
and project staff at the meeting. See Attachment 1 for the full data
breakdown.
Problem statement and goals: The majority of open house participants
(75%) agreed that the problem statement and goals captured the overall
concerns of the community, according to questionnaire results. Most
participants (64%) also agreed that the themes from phase 1 engagement
were accurately captured.
Street layout configurations: The three-lane roadway (two-way with center
turn lane) was the most popular street configuration for open house
attendees with both the questionnaire (54%) and sticker activity (75%).
Some attendees said that this configuration allows residents to safely pull in
and out of their properties and further allows delivery vehicles to make
Table 1: Demographic activity responses,
open house and virtual open house
Age
66+ 52%
50 – 65 29%
18 – 34 19%
Under 18 0%
35 – 50 0%
Race/Ethnicity
White 89%
Black or African
American 5%
Hispanic or Latino 5%
Alaskan Native or
American Indian 0%
Asian 0%
Native
Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander 0%
More than one race 0%
Pronouns
She/Her 69%
He/Him 31%
They/Them 0%
Other 0%
Do you have a
disability?
No 80%
Yes 20%
Languages
English 100%
Spanish 0%
Somali/Oromo 0%
Russian 0%
Karen 0%
Thai 0%
Hmong 0%
Mandarin/Cantonese 0%
Other 0%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page3
quick stops without interfering with traffic. Conversationally, multiple participants told staff that they
avoid 73rd Street because of the existing pedestrian crossing median and therefore did not like the 2-lane
divided (median) option. Some did express support for the 2-lane divided option citing the potential for
aesthetic improvements and plantings.
Pedestrian, bicycle and boulevard configurations : With the sticker activity at the open house, the cycle
track was the most popular option (50%). Questionnaire respondents favored the sidewalks, both with the
trail and boulevards (40%) and on-street bike lanes (32%). Some participants questioned why bike
facilities are being considered given that there are barely any cyclists on the road today. A primary
concern with incorporating bicycle and pedestrian facilities for some of them was related to potential l oss
of private property to accommodate these additional facilities.
Intersection treatments: Pedestrian activated lights were the most popular option with the sticker
activity (30%). A participant noted that they would like a flashing beacon near Augsburg Park Library on
Nicollet Avenue at 71st Street. Others noted that it is important for flashing beacons to also have an audio
component for folks with low vision. Compact roundabout was the most favored tool in the
questionnaire (27%).
Boulevard improvements: Based on the sticker activity, participants much preferred the enhanced
improvements over the standard improvements. Some attendees noted that they would like to see more
native plantings in the medians and boulevard.
Richfield High School conferences pop-up
The afternoon of Thursday, December 7, the project team attended Richfield High School conferences.
The project team collected input via one-on-one conversations and comments on a map using post -it
notes, interacting with about 10 families. The following i s a summary of the event and key findings. A full
listing of the comments received are included as attachments to this document.
Event purpose
• Connect with high school families
• Provide a project overview and update on engagement
• Collect input on existing community experiences
• Discuss next steps
• Meet people where they are at
Date/time
• December 7, 2023 from 4 – 6:30 p.m.
• Richfield High School, 7001 Harriet Avenue
Meeting promotions
• Conferences were promoted via the high school’s channels
Written comments received
• In-person map comments: 12
Table 2: Sticker activity results, conferences
pop-up
How do you usually travel along or
across Nicollet Avenue?
I drive 3
I bike 1
I take the bus 1
I walk 1
I roll 0
Other 0
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page4
Participant demographics
Demographic information was not collected at this event.
Key themes
The following are key themes from the input collected at the event, including written comments on the
map and comments from conversations with project staff.
Safety at intersections: The intersection of Nicollet Avenue and 71st, 72nd and 73rd streets are dangerous
to cross, especially for pedestrians. Pedestrian treatments are desired, particularly flashing lights.
Traffic congestion: Participants noted congestion at the roundabout on Nicollet Avenue and 66th Street.
Roundabouts: Participants who mentioned roundabouts were in favor of more of them being added to
Nicollet Avenue. Some concerns about roundabouts included pedestrian safety and loss of private land.
Questionnaire results
The following is a summary of the questionnaire results, including those submitted both online and in -
person. A complete tabulation of survey results is included as an attachment.
• Most (51%) respondents felt the common themes from phase 1 community engagement ha d
been accurately captured.
o Most of the additional comments pertained to people’s thoughts about roundabouts ,
both for and against. Many who do not like roundabouts cited Lyndale Avenue as an
example.
• Most (62%) respondents felt the problem statement captures the overall concerns of the
community.
o Of those who provided additional comments, many pertained to prioritizing motorists,
prioritizing bicyclists and pedestrians or improving accessibility.
• Most (76%) respondents favored the 3-lane roadway (two-way center turn lane).
• The most popular pedestrian, bicycle and boulevard configurations were a two-way cycle track
(47%), cycle track (47%) and sidewalk one side with trail on the other with boulevards (42%).
• The most popular intersection treatments were pedestrian activated lights (78%) and traffic signal
improvements (62%).
Next steps
The next steps in the process for the project team are to consider the results of phase two engagement to
work toward preliminary concept alternatives to address the problem statement and goals identified. This
information will be shared with community members during the third phase of community engagement,
tentatively planned for February 2024.
List of attachments
Attachment 1: Transcript of open house comments
Attachment 2: Transcript of conferences pop-up comments
Attachment 3: Questionnaire results
Attachment 1: Transcript of open house comments
Problem statement and goals:
Questionnaire: Do you agree that the problem statement captures the overall concerns of the community?
Answer Count Percentage
Yes 18 75%
Not sure 6 25%
No 0 0%
Questionnaire: Have the common themes from phase 1 community engagement been accurately
captured?
Answer Count Percentage
Yes 16 64%
Not sure 6 24%
No 3 12%
Notes from attendees on post-it activity:
Problem Statement: Nicollet is a major corridor for vehicles, walkers, rollers. It doesn’t need to be
“environmentally sustainable” or have greenspace/vegetation.
Street layout configurations:
Sticker activity:
Street layout configurations Count
Percentage Notes
3-lane roadway (two-way center
turn lane) 12
75% 3-lane roadway is the way to go! (Raised
medians are dangerous)
2-lane undivided (no median) 3
19%
2-lane divided roadway (with
raised median) 1
6%
Questionnaire:
Street layout configurations Yes - Count
Yes -
Percentage No - Count
No -
Percentage
3-lane roadway (two-way center
turn lane) 15
54% 3
18%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page6
2-lane divided roadway (with
raised median) 8
29% 7
41%
2-lane undivided (no median) 5
18% 7
41%
Pedestrian, bicycle and boulevard configurations:
Sticker activity:
Pedestrian, bicycle
and boulevard
configurations Count
Percentage Notes
Cycle track 11 50%
Sidewalk and trail with
boulevards 5
23%
Consider aesthetics of big asphalt path - Portland
homeowner says it looks bad in front of house;
Crash reduction signs on Nicollet before these
intersections
Two-way cycle track 5 23%
Sidewalk and trail with
boulevards plus on-
street bike lanes 1
4%
On-street buffered bike
lanes 0
0%
Questionnaire:
Pedestrian, bicycle and boulevard
configurations
Yes -
Count
Yes -
Percentage No - Count
No -
Percentage
Sidewalk and trail with boulevards 15
40% 2
6%
Sidewalk and trail with boulevards
plus on-street bike lanes 12
32% 2
6%
Cycle track 5 13% 9 25%
Two-way cycle track 3 8% 11 31%
On-street buffered bike lanes 2 5% 12 33%
Intersection treatments:
Sticker activity:
Intersection treatments Count Percentage Notes
Pedestrian activated lights 10 30%
Compact roundabout 6 18%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page7
Traffic signal improvements 6 18%
Pedestrian medians (open crossing) 6 18%
Raised crossings/tabled intersections 4
12%
Closed medians (right-in/right-out) 1 3%
Bumpouts/curb-extensions 0
0% Do this on side streets where they
meet Nicollet
Questionnaire:
Intersection treatments Yes – Count
Yes – Percentage No –
Count
No -
Percentage
Compact roundabout 17 27% 2 4%
Traffic signal improvements 10 16% 5 11%
Closed medians (right-in/right-
out) 10
16%
5
11%
Pedestrian medians (open
crossing) 10
16%
7
16%
Raised crossings/tabled
intersections 8
12%
6
14%
Pedestrian activated lights 5 8% 9 20%
Bumpouts/curb-extensions 4 6% 10 23%
Boulevard improvements:
Boulevard improvements
Green dots –
Count
Green dots –
Percentage
Red dots –
Count
Red dots -
Percentage
Enhanced improvements 31 100% 0 0%
Standard improvements 11 69% 5 31%
Notes from attendees:
• Sometimes trees block the view of bus riders and walkers because they are too tall
• Green Space (boulevards): Blvds with flowers are wonderful as long as they are maintained. Most
of what I see are filled with weeds and garbage and dead trees.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page8
Attachment 2: Transcript of conferences pop-up
comments
Locational comments:
• Nicollet Avenue and 66th Street: Weekend mornings there is traffic backed up in all directions
at the roundabout.
• Nicollet Avenue and 66th Street: Likes the pedestrian lights at the roundabout.
• Nicollet Avenue, between 66th and 67th Streets: Often traffic backups here.
• 70th Street: People tend to speed on this road, would like to see signs noting the school crossing
(+1).
• Nicollet Avenue and 71st Street : Would like to see blinking lights where the crosswalks are.
Often waits up to 15 minutes for a break in traffic to cross the road. Many kids also cross here to
get to the skate park.
• Nicollet Avenue and 71st/72nd Street: Would like to see better pedestrian accommodations for
those crossing Nicollet to get to the library, such as a raised crossing or flashing pedestrian lights.
Often see children darting between cars on Nicollet.
• Nicollet Avenue and 73rd Street: It is hard to get across this intersection, both as a driver and as
a pedestrian, as there is heavy traffic coming from both directions.
• Nicollet Avenue and 73rd Street: Don’t like crossing here as a pedestrian. Visibility is limited for
drivers with the hill.
• Nicollet Avenue and 76th Street: Would like to see a roundabout here, but don’t want private
property taken away.
General comments:
• People use existing bike lanes as right turn lanes.
• Would like to see consistency of all roundabouts or all stop lights with the reconstruction,
preferably roundabouts.
• It is scary to cross roundabouts as a pedestrian.
Questions:
• How do the changes to 4-94 impact Nicollet Avenue?
• How is this construction different than what was just done on Nicollet?
Attachment 3: Questionnaire results
Q1 – Have the common themes from phase 1 community engagement been accurately captured?
Answer Count Percentage
Yes 39 51%
Not sure 21 28%
No 16 21%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page10
Q2 - Is there anything else you would like to share about the key themes from community
engagement?
• Over emphasis on feeling unsafe due to speed & amount of traffic. Work on Lyndale &
Portland avenues temporary pushed more traffic on to Nicollet. Not every north / south street
needs to have bike lanes.
• Roundabouts are NOT the answer to everything. Bus Stops need a wider area so they don’t
completely halt following traffic.
• Make sure roundabouts have something in the circle, flowers, etc. as a distraction. Lyndale
roundabouts are dangerous.
• "stop lights are more effective than roundabouts. There is no ambiguity RE: meaning of RED light
and GREEN light. There is excessive ambiguity when maneuvering a roundabout.
• I object to any yard sizes being reduced. No house yards should be reduced for this project.
• I disagree with the statement ""no dedicated bike paths"". Bicycle lanes exist on Nicollet Av. If the
current bicycle lanes are not adequate, I recommend that the sidewalks be available for
pedestrians and for bicyclists."
• Wide, straight roadways send an unconscious signal to drivers that it's safe for them to drive at
higher speeds. This puts all other travelers that are not in cars at greater risk of injury and death.
To change people's driving behavior, we need drastic tr affic calming measures that increase the
complexity of the road by narrowing it with chicanes, pedestrian islands, street trees that are
planted close to the road to help drivers understand their traveling speed, and we need
convenient, accessible alternatives to operating a private vehicle to get around.
• My understanding is that roundabouts can be improvements for cars/drivers/traffic, but they are
often tougher to navigate for pedestrians and bikes. At 76th and Nicollet there are two bus stops,
a bike trail, and sidewalks on all four corners. Please do not put a roundabout at this intersection
(compact or otherwise). Left-turn arrows would mitigate some existing traffic issues.
• "Richfield residents do not want another road of all roundabouts. Trucks, buses, etc cannot access
the roundabouts on Lyndale - creating the same issue on Nicolett will be an issue. We need to
have space for emergency vehicles, vehicles transporting goods to retail stores, buses, etc.
There is too tight of space between each roundabout on Lyndale - don't create the same issue on
Nicollet.
• Additionally, there was just construction adding medians on Nicollet, why tear it up just a few
years later. Nicolett just tore up the intersection at 70th this summer. Its a waste of tax dollars to
redo work that was just done, especially in a time where we are all stretched thin, the city/county
need to better plan their projects to not be duplicating efforts. It gives the perception that the
city/county doesn't care about its residents and their ability to live - they just want our tax dollars
to waste them. "
• Roundabouts are great at reducing traffic speeds and accidents. We need highly visible pedestrian
crossings at areas like the library, park, and bus stops.
• More roundabouts and protected bike lanes please!
• Ensuring strong bus lines continue and are able to integrate into this plan.
• No round abouts on Nicollet !!!!
• Too many stoplights on Nicollet. Add more roundabouts
• "I like roundabouts!! Stop signs and lights are annoying and inefficient.
• My only complaint is the compact roundabout is a little tough to navigate, and having 3+ in a row
is a little tedious, but is good "
• The path and roundabouts on Lyndale make walking/running along the street feel a lot safer. I'd
love to see that on Nicollet.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page11
• Excessive speed is not a problem. It is the Excessive SPEEDERS who are the problem.
Roundabouts won't solve this personnel problem. Some of these roundabouts are too small to
be anything more than a nuisance. Hire more cops for the City and don't build these stupid
roundabouts which are dangerous (especially when ice covered in winter.)
• Does anyone consider winter months when coming up with these plans? It’s already hard enough
to get around when they changed the road the first time.
• We don't need anymore roundabouts in Richfield. They don't make anything better and are a
hazard for emergency vehicles. Leave the roads as they are. Don't waste anymore tax dollars on
fixing non- issues.
• not at this time
• I like to take this route currently when I drive through the neighborhood because I do not like the
roundabouts on Lyndale. When reconstruction is done, I would like to see the four way
intersections done traditionally with lights regulating traffic. As someone who navigates primarily
by car and bicycle, I find these intersections easier to navigate and maintain driving speed.
• "I love roundabouts, they are safer for pedestrians and vehicles! The intersection for 73rd would
be a good spot for one, lots of students walking and driving down 73rd to and from the high
school. Bike lanes are great!
• People just like to be mad about roundabouts, but they dont have the data to back up why a
stoplight is better and safer on a road with a speed limit of 35! Its residential, expect to just take
your time. "
• Put in as many round about as possible. My kids are getting pretty good at navigating them on
bikes and drivers seem to keep a better eye out for pedestrians and bikes.
• No you make the round abt to small for larger vehicles....by the 3rd exot u r riding on the center
circle......and people don't know how to use em
• Leave the center turn lanes alone. The turn lanes on Portland are too short and only one car can
get in while the cars behind have to wait until it turns because there isn't enough room to go by.
Also, going North on Nicollet to the roundabout is too small too. All the other roads allow two
cars to be in the same lane with one going straight while the other turns right.
• I feel that round-a-bouts only tie u the flow of traffic. I have spent more time waiting to go at the
one on 66th and Lyndale and the one on 66th and Nicollet than I ever spent with the lights. So I
think ped crossing lights and bike lanes would be a better way to go.
• I beg of you, please do not do the roundabout madness like Lyndale. I love roundabouts, but I do
not love 4 roundabouts right together. The Portland revamp has been wonderful. Let's do that
again!
• Leave the roads alone! Cyclists and pedestrians are not the primary users the roads are intended
for, motorists are. Quit botching up all of our roads. I drive Nicollet daily and rarely see either
pedestrians or cyclists. I do however routinely have issues turning onto Nicollet due to continuous
traffic going both directions. This is because the city has messed with all of the other major
routes North/South, funneling traffic down Nicollet.
• I don't think Richfield, particularly Nicolette Ave, need any more round about. The ones on
Lyndale are ridiculous.
• Need round-a-bouts at 70th.
• More roundabouts are not desired. Pedestrian medians and raised crossings are a good idea.
• there are too many roundabouts on lyndale between 66th and 77. please don’t make the same
mistake on nicollet!!!
• "The left turn lanes with concrete curbs like at 73rd street need to be longer.
• The short lanes cause slow down for traffic following a car merging into this left turn lane because
of how short it is."
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page12
• Why is this street being torn up AGAIN and disrupting all who live and drive on Nicollet avenue?
We have paid taxes at least twice for all of the latest turn lanes. I feel this is a waste of our tax
money and should be left as is. This millions of dollars (probably) should be used for other things
to make the city better. Roads don't always make the city. 66th st is the worst for traffic. Wait
times to enter onto are horrendous.
• I agree the sidewalks and curbs are in poor condition (at best), just like the ones on Lyndale
before replacement. I also want to say I HATE roundabouts. I tolerate the not busy ones, buy do
everything possible to avoid the busy ones, like Portland and 6 6th.
• No roundabouts on Nicolle!!!!!!!
• Don't do to Nicollet what was done to Portland. On Portland it is rare that cars go over 30 MPH.
At some of the bus stops (northbound 73rd) when the bus is stopped cars can't get past.
• Do not make Nicollet Avenue the same as Portland! Horrible idea!
• Roundabouts have been so helpful on Lyndale (we live on Lyndale) and I think they would help
with the speed and flow of traffic on Nicollet also. The smooth walking path and sidewalks on
Lyndale are also a blessing. Nicollet sidewalks could use updating to make them friendlier for
handicappeded users: my electric mobility scooter is challenged by the uneven sidewalks and
driveway connections between 77th and 66th! And I haven't tried to go north of 66th with the
scooter. Please install pedestrian activated crossing lights at crosswalk intersections!
• Just please make sure that the lanes are wide enough for two vehicles each way. I have seen a car
break down on 66th, which then precluded a bus from going around it and it backed up every car
after that. I don’t know how long people were stuck for, but I avoid driving on 66th because I
don’t want to get stuck behind a stranded vehicle until it is towed without the ability to drive
around it.
• Please leave the roundabout thoughts out of the reconstruction of Nicolett Ave. The ones on
Lyndale and only served to force many more vehicles onto this street causing more congestion
and safety issues for cross traffic and pedestrians. What is really ne eded (and I have been here for
30 years so know what I have seen) is a traffic light to allow the local people who use the street
the ability to get across at 73rd. The neighbors have advocated for this for the whole time that I
have lived here, however out county and city have not listened to the stake holders just the
money angles. A light would not only increase safety in the 6 blocks but also slow down the
drivers who have consistently increased their sped substantially above the marked 35 mph limit.
• I wish you would leave Nic. Ave alone. Stop all this upheavel in the city. And I hate the round
abouts. Especially on Lyndale. The one that stops access to Woodlake is not safe, a waste of
taxpayer money. Richfield seems to be bent on spending money and fi xing things that do not
need fixing. Cynthia Wagar
• it feels very unsafe to cross as a pedestrian
• I drive a car. When I use the roundabouts, I have noticed that when there is a pedestrian crossing,
only that area lights up (or indicator lights come on) but the other intersections do not (because
there's nobody crossing). For the safety of drivers and p edestrians, I would like to see ALL
intersections lighted (or yielded) when a pedestrian crosses no matter where they are crossing. I
have watch way too many vehicles coming to a screeching halt.
• Turn lanes are great but excessive roundabouts like Lyndale are ridiculous and a detriment to
pedestrians
• Find a way to incorporate safety elements without butchering the hollistic road design like
Lyndale Avenue was from 64th to 72nd
• Traffic on 66th Eastbound & Westbound bound flows faster. Some people may not be
comfortable with roundabouts, but they will learn
• I like the bicycle protected lane with striped buffer.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page13
• No more roundabout. No bump outs. Plowing is hard enough in this wintry state keeping streets
clean is even harder when they're obstructed with nonstraightened roads. Keep it simple.
• Left turn signals needed but speed is fine. Keeping road straight so to make plowing simpler and
safer for all types of road use. No bump outs, no round abouts and no mediums. This city is small
and not that busy except at rush hour so only pedestrian buttons and flat ramps are necessary.
Keep it simple.
Q3 – Do you agree that the problem statement captures the overall concerns of the community?
Answer Count Percentage
Yes 31 62%
No 11 22%
Not sure 8 16%
Q4 – Is there anything else you would like to share about the problem statement?
• No
• I disagree with the statement "There is a need to improve safety and comfort for people who
travel along and across Nicollet Avenue, including people walking, rolling, riding bicycles, taking
the bus, and driving a personal vehicle. " I do not believe that Nicollet Ave is unsafe nor
uncomfortable. Safe pedestrian crossings can be addressed with stop lights. Stop lights are more
definitive than roundabouts. Roundabouts allow for interpretation of when to proceed. Stop lights
are not ambiguous.
• The statements that the street improvements should provide an "acceptable level of traffic delay
and queuing" and attempts to provide "reliable travel times for all vehicles" concerns me that we
are still focused too much on prioritizing private motor vehicle travel when we should be sharply
reducing the need for it. We should have dedicated bus lanes so that transit users do not get
stuck in traffic, but folks who choose to drive a private car should be discouraged by the multiple
other options that are made safer and more convenient than driving. We've already spent
decades creating car-dependent infrastructure, and it's destroying the environment, creating
unsustainable sprawl, and placing a monetary burden on the city to keep all that infrastructure
maintained. Make biking and public transit the most appealing options so that we don't need
parking everywhere, so that people feel safer exploring their city on foot, so that the air is cleaner
and the car noise is only on the outskirts of the city.
• "While I agree on enhancing pedestrian access, safety, and public transportation, I struggle with
the metro area's fascination with bike travel. I live near the added bike lanes on 66th and drive
regularly during rush hour. In my years of traveling the road (every work day) the number of
bikes I've seen can be counted on one hand, and this is during the summer months. So on a good
day we're not biking, but for 5-6 months a year, winter hits and the reasons we want to drive just
compound. Comparing us to other bike-friendly countries usually ends up being a discussion
about how people don't want to bike in the cold, but reality is far more complex. This country
(and city) won't accept winter biking because frankly a) our century of car -culture and b) our
government doesn't maintain infrastructure at the level Nordic bike -friendly countries do. Unless
you're willing to spend enormous additional annual costs in maintaining the bike paths at a
degree which encourages bike use (plowing at 1 inch, grooming the tr ails regularly, and getting
out there before the roads are cleared), we will never get over our innate desire to ""just drive"".
• Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of adding in roundabouts, making access to the bus lines
easier and increasing the respectability in our walking spaces, but continuing to eat away
road/property space which could be otherwise used for beautification for a service we not only
don't use, but we also don't support on a governmental level is asinine."
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page14
• Hire more law enforcement to catch and prosecute SPEEDERS.
• I would like the city council to prioritize ensuring that automobile traffic is able to move as quick
as possible through the corridor, even if it means making sacrifices on safety.
• I agree with some of it but not all. People walking and biking need to take some responsibility for
their actions also. Not always put blame on drivers
• There is no need to change the road for the above reasons. That is other than the some foolish
need to spend money making changes nobody really wants.
• No
• No. It’s fine now. Why fix it?
• I don’t think necessarily adding roundabouts will solve the lack of safety. It can add on simply
because too much reckless driving on the roundabouts and adds. Maybe lights with arrows.
• I didn't realize the survey continued and listed these things in the previous box: Nicollet needs
greater handicapped accessibility on sidewalks and crossings with activated crossing lights and
crosswalks.
• Didn’t the road get an upgrade a few years ago? Not in favor of anymore roundabouts.. I am
avoiding the streets with all the roundabouts. I think the drivers are more of the problem than the
roads.
• Specially near park areas, this would be nice
• I think of the best ways to be eco-friendly is to improve bike ability. This may mean wider bike
lanes at the expense of greenery. The more comfortable people are biking places instead of
driving the less car accidents, carbon emissions, and with people spending more time outside
hopefully that makes them more open to green initiatives
• Emphasize biking and walking safety. Pro roundabouts
• Flat ADA ramping and pedestrian signal lighting is all that's necessary at corners. Planting
sustainability as seen from prior projects is not stable due to salt use on the road from cars
splashing and such. Keep it simple.
• No roundabouts, no raised medians, no bump outs, no green median raised, no plantings. Just
flat pedestrian crossings with pedestrian buttons. No bike lanes just sidewalks. Richfield is small
and not needing all these specific lanes since traffic isn't an issue. Plowing is the issue and needs
to be front and center and clearly easy to do. Salt usually kills all plants, greenery in boulevard's
and mediums, so Stop plantings.
Q5 – Considering the benefits and trade-offs, please indicate which of the following tools you
support as an improvement on Nicollet Avenue
Street layout configurations Yes - Count Yes - Percentage No - Count No - Percentage
3-lane roadway (two-way
center turn lane)
44 76% 9 16%
2-lane divided roadway (with
raised median)
27 47% 20 34%
2-lane undivided (no median) 12 21% 30 52%
Q6 – Considering the benefits and trade-offs, please indicate which of the following tools you
support as an improvement on Nicollet Avenue
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page15
Pedestrian, bicycle and boulevard
configurations
Yes -
Count
Yes -
Percentage
No -
Count
No -
Percentage
Two-way cycle track 28 47% 22 37%
Cycle track 28 47% 17 29%
Sidewalk on one side and trail on the other,
with boulevards
25 42% 23 39%
Sidewalk and trail with boulevards plus on -
street bike lanes
18 31% 30 51%
On-street buffered bike lanes 15 25% 31 53%
Q7 – Considering the benefits and trade-offs, please indicate which of the following tools you
support as an improvement on Nicollet Avenue
Intersection treatments Yes -
Count
Yes -
Percentage
No -
Count
No -
Percentage
Pedestrian activated lights 39 78% 7 14%
Traffic signal improvements 31 62% 11 22%
Pedestrian medians (open crossing, doesn’t limit
vehicle turning)
25 50% 16 32%
Raised crossings/tabled intersections 24 48% 18 36%
Compact roundabout 23 46% 22 44%
Bumpouts/curb-extensions 16 32% 23 46%
Closed medians (limits vehicle turning to right -
in/right-out only)
12 24% 29 58%
Q8 – Are there any other comments you wish to share?
• Follow the KISS rule: “Keep It Simple, Stupid!” The more inconsistent elements of design
decrease the ability to quickly comprehend the proper actions to take.
• I do not like Two lane roundabouts because, you can turn right from the right lane or right from
the left lane or go left from the right lane or go left from the left lane, fix the roundabouts so you
haft to turn right from the right lane and left from the left lane. Rich Schrupp
• It would be helpful to be able to rate these. Some of these would be improvements but not to the
same level of others, while some would be improvements only if paired with others.
• How are these plans affected by the closing of the ramps on to 494 at Nicollet? Won’t traffic
naturally decrease on that road once you no longer can use it to get on 494? Will you waste all
this improving for the traffics to reduce and then turn around and have to redo Portland? I live
between both Portland and Nicollet and don’t really want to deal with two crazy high traffic
roads.
• intersection treatments: parking bay
• "I'm honestly okay with most of the options. I think whatever is safest is best.
• I really like the idea of better sidewalks & bike lanes.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Open House 2 Summary Page16
• I'm less interested in more roundabouts.
• Thanks so much for putting these open houses together!"
• No yard space should be taken by the city for this project. No yard space should be taken for
roundabouts. Bicycle and pedestrian traffic is minimal and should not dictate the project. Stop
lights and pedestrian controlled signals are more effective than roundabouts.
• I think any of these tools could be appropriate and useful for improving safety on Nicollet. Every
possibility should be looked at so we can get a street that works for everyone. When evaluating
the alternatives, please consider the impact on drainage and snowplowing operations for the
street, sidewalk, and bike paths.
• There are already enough bike lanes in Richfield.
• Not at this time
• I think it is a mistake to change so many north -south corridors to 2 or 3 lanes instead of 4. There
is a high volume of traffic and forcing it down to 1 lane in each direction means very few breaks in
traffic for people trying to go East -West or make turns from or onto the North-South roads.
• Im a fan of roundabouts and the improved safety aspects they provide. However, they can be
overused, as in the case of Lyndale south of 66th St. I think they should only be used at major
intersections where necessary. To have 4 in a row within 4 blocks is total overkill, in my opinion.
Please don’t repeat that on Nicollet.
• Please don’t let this become a Bryant Avenue fiasco like in Minneapolis. Plan on lanes narrowing
during the winter due to snow pile up. Also take into consideration that both Lyndale and
Portland have dedicated bike lanes. Also recognize the impact of the houses on Nicollet and that
you can’t take any more yard away from them, without it becoming intrusive.
• Thank you for involving the community and not just "experts" who don't live here!
• Please No More Roundabouts In Richfield!!!! We can prioritize safety with so many other
alternatives, roundabouts may be the least convenient alternative for the pedestrian traffic that is
said to be prioritized, take both Nicollet & Portland @ 66th.
• This area is fine the way it is. Don't waste money fixing something that isn't broken. The only
thing, and I mean the only thing, that could be helpful is the pedestrian activated crosswalk lights.
Something like the one on Xerxes and ~64th St. Don't take away car lanes, don't narrow lanes,
don't put in things that will make it impossible to plow. And add on street parking! At least on
one side of the street!
• It would be cool if nicollet road and Portland could coordinate so that one road prioritizes cycling,
and the other for walking or other modes of traffic. The two roads are fairly close together to a
point were advanced cyclists would choose the road that is better for them without much
inconvenience. The other road could then be more general use or pedestrian specific. Otherwise
it may be very challenging to satisfy everyone when the two roads both try to hit the "sweet spot"
• Eliminate round abouts, bump outs, medians that are raised! We are in Minnesota which has
plowing necessity and needs it easy and quick and safe to be cleaned off properly. Flat ramp
crossings, pedestrian crossing buttons, no mediums in road raised or ot herwise. Keep it simple
and less difficult for plows!
• Lots of trees on Nicollet would make the street better for everyone. The shade makes it better for
walkers and bikers, they make drivers slow down, and they help out the planet.
Nicollet Avenue reconstruction
County Road 52 in Richfield
Phase 3: Concept Alternatives | Engagement summary
Project overview
Hennepin County is planning to reconstruct CSAH 52 (Nicollet Avenue) between 66th Street and 77th
Street in 2026-2027. As part of the design process for this project, the county is doing stakeholder
engagement to inform project design. Engagement began in 2023 and will conclude in 2024. Engagement
for phase 2 included the activities listed below. The following is a summary of each of the community
engagement activities included in phase 3.
• In-person open house
• Contacts with 10+ community organizations
• Ongoing meeting with stakeholder groups to discuss engagement opportunities
Open house
On the afternoon of Thursday, February 29, the project team hosted an in-person open house to gather
input from people who use the Nicollet Avenue corridor which was attended by approximately 100
people. A total of 72 people signed in to the open house and approximately 30 did not sign in. Input was
collected through a variety of methods: a questionnaire handed out at the meeting, dot stickers on
display posters to prioritize potential design elements, and direct conversations with project staff. Input
was also collected via an online version of the meeting questionnaire as part of a virtual open house. The
following is a summary of the meeting, including a summary of frequent comments. A full transcript of the
comments received is included as an attachment to this document.
Meeting purpose
• Share phase 2 results: present
feedback to-date
• Pedestrian and bikeway alternatives:
present the three design options
and solicit preferences
• Intersection design concepts:
present intersection design
concepts and solicit preferences
• Corridor design (layout)
alternatives: present options and
solicit feedback
• Next steps: share next steps
Figure 1: Project staff walk open house participants through the
informational boards
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page2
Date/time
• February 29, 2024, from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. (virtual open house
available Feb. 27 – Mar. 21)
• Richfield Community Center, 7000 Nicollet Avenue, Richfield
Meeting promotions
• Postcard mailing to all of the physical addresses within one
quarter mile of the corridor
• Email invitation to those on the city and county email lists
• Social media posts on city and county channels
• Direct invitations via Richfield Transportation Commission
members
• Flyers hand delivered to retail businesses in the area
Written comments received
• Questionnaires submitted at meeting: 20
• Questionnaire responses submitted electronically: 85
• Demographic activity, dots placed: 88
• Ped. and bike activity, dots placed: 52
• Intersection activity, dots placed: 391
• Map comments: 42
Participant demographics
Meeting participants were asked to self-select demographic
characteristics via an interactive exercise at the meeting and a series of
questions on the questionnaire form (both in person and online). The
activity and questions were voluntary and not all respondents
participated. Table 1 shows the combined results of those activities, in
aggregate. The following are key findings:
• 33% were age 50 and over
• 87% identified as white and 5% identified as Hispanic/Latino
• 63% identified as a man or using he/him pronouns
• 14% had a disability
• 92% spoke English and 5% spoke Spanish
Frequent themes and considerations
Sidewalk and bikeway options: The one-way cycle track ranked the
highest at both the open house and in the questionnaire, followed by the
two-way cycle track and sidewalk and sidepath.
Roadway configuration: Most questionnaire respondents (82%) supported
the 3-lane roadway configuration for Nicollet Avenue.
Table 1: Demographic activity responses,
open house and virtual open house
Age
18 – 34 43%
35 – 50 24%
66+ 17%
50 – 65 16%
Under 18 0%
Race/Ethnicity
White 87%
Hispanic or Latino 5%
More than one race 3%
Black or African American 2%
Asian 1%
Other 1%
Alaskan Native or
American Indian 0%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander 0%
Pronouns
He/Him 63%
She/Her 37%
They/Them 0%
Other 0%
Do you have a disability?
No 86%
Yes 14%
Languages
English 92%
Spanish 5%
Other 3%
Somali/Oromo 0%
Russian 0%
Karen 0%
Thai 0%
Hmong 0%
Mandarin/Cantonese 0%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page3
Intersection design options: Open house activities and questionnaire results largely corresponded for
individual intersection treatments. These preferences are included in the table below:
Table 2: Overall intersection design preferences
Intersection Preference Notes
76th Street Roundabout
75th Street Bumpouts/curb extensions
74th Street Bumpouts/curb extensions
73rd Street Roundabout
72nd Street Median crossing (pedestrian refuge median)
71st Street 2-lane section with bumpouts/curb extensions
70th Street Roundabout
Fairly close split at the open house, but clear
preference in the questionnaire
69th Street Bumpouts/curb extensions
68th Street Bumpouts/curb extensions
67th Street Roundabout
Fairly close split at the open house, but clear
preference in the questionnaire
Other key themes:
• Some participants support roundabouts and medians for their safety and traffic flow benefits,
others raise concerns about their impact on pedestrian crossings.
• Mixed opinions exist regarding features like bumpouts and right-in/right-out medians, with some
seeing them as beneficial for traffic calming while others question their effectiveness.
• There was a focus on the need to prioritize safety for cyclists and pedestrians, with suggestions
for improvements such as adding pedestrian lights and ensuring adequate space.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page4
Open house activity results summary
At the open house, questions from the questionnaire were reflected in interactive activities to collect
feedback. This included an optional demographic dot activity which received 88 answers; a dot activity
asking about bike and pedestrian configurations, which received 52 answers; and a dot activity asking
about intersection treatment priorities, which received 391 answers across all intersections. People could
also leave sticky notes on the intersection activity map; 42 comments were placed in that format. The
following is a summary of the open house activity results. A complete tabulation of survey results is
included as an attachment.
• When asked to place a sticker on their preferred options, the one-way cycle track received the
most dots (62%). The two-way cycle track came in second (27%), and the sidewalk and sidepath
option came in third (12%).
o Overall, participants expressed preferences for one-way cycle tracks, while others prefer
two-way tracks or side paths to minimize disruptions and prioritize safety.
• For the 76th Street intersection, roundabouts were preferred (71%).
• For the 75th Street intersection, bumpouts/curb extensions without the closed median were
preferred (72%).
• For the 74th Street intersection, bumpouts/curb extensions without the closed median were
preferred (74%).
• For the 73rd Street intersection, roundabouts received about half of the dots (51%). The rest of
the answers were split between the median crossing (25%) and bumpouts/curb extensions (24%).
• For the 72nd Street intersection, a median crossing (pedestrian refuge median) was preferred
(79%).
• For the 71st Street intersection, a 2-lane section with bumpouts/curb extensions was preferred
(66%).
• For the 70th Street intersection, roundabouts received slightly more dots (58%) than a traffic
signal (42%).
• For the 69th Street intersection, bumpouts/curb extensions without the closed median were
preferred (66%).
• For the 68th Street intersection, bumpouts/curb extensions without the closed median were
preferred (65%).
• For the 67th Street intersection, roundabouts (51%) and a traffic signal (49%) were almost evenly
split.
• Some common themes from written comments regarding intersection treatments include:
o Some participants were supportive of roundabouts, finding them efficient and safe for
reducing traffic, while others expressed concerns about traffic flow and pedestrian safety.
o There were mixed opinions on bumpouts, with some participants okay with them if
accompanied by flashing pedestrian crossing buttons, while others opposed them,
particularly when combined with right-in-right-out configurations.
o Concerns were raised about the design and functionality of median crossings, particularly
regarding turning difficulty and lack of storage space for vehicles.
o Suggestions included adding pedestrian lights at certain intersections and ensuring
adequate space for cyclists and pedestrians.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page5
Questionnaire results summary
The questionnaire was open from February 28 to March 21, 2024 and received about 85 responses,
roughly 20 of which were from a printed version of the questionnaire at the in-person open house. The
following is a summary of the questionnaire results, including those submitted both online and in-person.
A complete tabulation of survey results is included as an attachment.
• Most (82%) respondents supported the 3-lane roadway configuration for Nicollet Avenue. Some
common themes from the written comments include:
o Concerns about speeding and the need for traffic calming measures, such as narrower
lanes, speed bumps, and curb extensions.
o Emphasis on pedestrian safety, including safe crosswalks, protected bike lanes, and
adequate infrastructure for walking and biking.
o Suggestions for reducing the number of lanes, with preferences for two-lane
configurations or boulevards to introduce green space.
o Support for roundabouts with clear lines of sight and opposition to features like concrete
medians and bump outs that may impede traffic flow or create safety hazards.
o Advocacy for prioritizing alternative modes of transportation over single-occupancy
vehicles, including one-way or two-way cycle tracks and lower speed limits.
o Calls for considering the needs of all residents, including those who rely on vehicles for
transportation, and ensuring continuity with existing infrastructure.
• When ranking the options in order of preference from one to three, the one-way cycle track
ranked highest on average (1.4), followed by the two-way cycle track (1.8). The sidewalk and
sidepath option ranked lowest overall (2.7).
o Those who supported the one-way cycle track cited its safety benefits, integration with
existing infrastructure, and alignment with the direction of traffic flow on nearby streets
like 66th Street.
o Those who supported the two-way cycle track cited its social aspects, integration with
existing trails like the Nine Mile Creek Trail, and potential to make biking more appealing
in the community.
o Those who opposed the sidepath expressed worries about safety, particularly at
intersections. They argue that separated bike lanes are more conducive to smooth traffic
flow.
o A few commenters question the need for dedicated bike lanes, citing perceived low usage
of existing paths and suggesting that people will use whichever side of the street is most
convenient, regardless of designated lanes.
o There were some general safety comments, noting that sidewalks, safe crossings, and
adequate snow removal are also important to keeping pedestrians and cyclists safe.
• For the 76th Street intersection, the roundabout ranked higher on average (1.2) than the traffic
signal (1.6).
• For the 75th Street intersection, bumpouts/curb extensions ranked slightly higher on average (1.3)
than the option with a closed median (1.5).
• For the 74th Street intersection, bumpouts/curb extensions ranked slightly higher on average (1.3)
than the option with a closed median (1.5).
• For the 73rd Street intersection, the roundabout ranked highest on average (1.4) followed by the
median crossing (1.8).
• For the 72nd Street intersection, the median crossing received more number one rankings (71%),
but ranked only slightly higher (1.3) than bumpouts/curb extensions (1.4) on average.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page6
• For the 71st Street intersection, the 2-lane section with bumpouts/curb extensions ranked slightly
higher on average (1.3) than the 3-lane section with closed medians (1.5).
• For the 70th Street intersection, the roundabout ranked higher on average (1.2) than the traffic
signal (1.7).
• For the 69th Street intersection, bumpouts/curb extensions received more number one rankings
(65%), but only ranked slightly higher on average (1.4) than the option with the closed median
(1.5).
• For the 68th Street intersection, bumpouts/curb extensions received more number one rankings
(63%), but only ranked slightly higher on average (1.4) than the option with the closed median
(1.5).
• For the 67th Street intersection, the roundabout ranked higher on average (1.2) than the traffic
signal (1.6).
• Some common themes from written comments regarding intersection treatments include:
o Some expressed support for roundabouts and medians, citing safety benefits and traffic
flow improvements. However, concerns are raised about their impact on pedestrian
crossings and accessibility.
o There were mixed opinions about features like bumpouts, stoplights, and right-in/right-
out medians. Some view them as beneficial for traffic calming and safety, while others
express concerns about their effectiveness and impact on traffic flow.
o There were many comments expressing the need to make intersections safer for bicyclists
and pedestrians, and to incorporate traffic calming into the design.
o Some additional suggestions included incorporating greenery, benches, and rest areas
into the road design to enhance aesthetics and user experience.
Next steps
The next steps in the process for the project team are to consider the results of phase three engagement
to work toward developing a recommended roadway design concept reflecting all of the community
input received to-date and the related technical analysis. The recommended concept will be shared with
community members during the forth phase of community engagement, tentatively planned for May
2024.
List of attachments
Attachment 1: Transcript of open house comments
Attachment 2: Questionnaire results
Attachment 1: Transcript of open house comments
What we’ve learned:
Have the common themes from phase 2 community engagement been accurately captured?
Answer Count Percentage
Yes 13 68%
Not sure 6 32%
No 0 0%
Sidewalk and bikeway options:
Answer Count Percentage
One-way cycle track 32 62%
Two-way cycle track 14 27%
Sidewalk + side path 6 12%
Intersection design options:
76th Street Intersection
Answer Count Percentage
Roundabout 35 71%
Traffic signal 14 29%
75th Street Intersection
Answer Count Percentage
Bumpouts/curb extensions 26 72%
Bumpouts/curb extensions and
right-in/right-out (closed median) 10
28%
74th Street Intersection
Answer Count Percentage
Bumpouts/curb extensions 28 74%
Bumpouts/curb extensions and
right-in/right-out (closed median) 10
26%
73rd Street Intersection
Answer Count Percentage
Roundabout 26 51%
Median crossing (pedestrian
refuge median) 13
25%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page8
Bumpouts/curb extensions 12 24%
72nd Street Intersection
Answer Count Percentage
Median crossing (pedestrian
refuge median) 27
79%
Bumpouts/curb extensions 7 21%
71st Street Intersection
Answer Count Percentage
2-lane section with bumpouts/curb
extensions 21
66%
3-lane section with right-in/right-out
(closed median) 11
34%
70th Street Intersection
Answer Count Percentage
Roundabout 25 58%
Traffic signal 18 42%
69th Street Intersection
Answer Count Percentage
Bumpouts/curb extensions 21 66%
Bumpouts/curb extensions and
right-in/right-out (closed median) 11
34%
68th Street Intersection
Answer Count Percentage
Bumpouts/curb extensions 24 65%
Median crossing (pedestrian
refuge median) 13
35%
67th Street Intersection
Answer Count Percentage
Roundabout 20 51%
Traffic signal 19 49%
Map comments:
• [W 67th St] Sensors to automate RRFB’s?
• [W 67th St roundabout] Roundabouts are the BEST! :)
• [W 67th St roundabout] Concern over not enough car storage when peoples crossing.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page9
• [W 67th St roundabout] Roundabout 67th positive
• [W 67th St signal] Keep semaphore! This esfexe [sp?]
• [W 67th St signal] Like this
• [W 68th St] As is [2 dots in agreement]
• [W 68th St] I’m okay with bumpouts if there is a flashing pedestrian crossing button for the school
& church. If there isn’t one, I would prefer a median crossing over bumpouts w/o flashing lights
• [W 68th St bumpouts w/ right-in-right-out] No!
• [W 69th St bumpouts w/ right-in-right out] No!
• [W 69th St bumpouts w/ right-in-right out] No Do Not Like
• [W 69th St bumpouts] OK
• Roundabouts positive throughout corridor
• [W 70th St] No more roundabouts closer than 3 blks apart
• [W 70th St roundabout] Roundabouts are the best :)
• [W 70th St roundabout] Roundabouts are cost effective and safe while reducing traffic
• [W 70th St roundabout] No!
• [W 70th St roundabout] No!
• Mistake to have circle at 70th. Need traffic control.
• [W 72nd St] Please move the postal box away from this intersection
• [W 72nd St median crossings] Awkward for turning – medians
• [W 72nd St median crossings] Design noses 3 signs don’t get hit; account for vehicles
• [W 72nd St bumpouts] Add pedestrian lights at 72nd x2
• [W 73rd St] SB right turn, cars pass on the left
• [W 73rd St roundabout] needs lights for peds! :)
• [W 73rd St bumpouts] OK
• Not a fan of median turn lanes at 72nd & 73rd makes hard to turn not enough storage. Not a fan
of Right in Right out anywhere
• Worse than today – 72nd (A), 73rd (A)
• No need for a circle a 73rd
• Remove Left turn islands @ 72 & 73 very awkward!! Too small!
• [W 74th St bumpouts] OK
• [W 75th St bumpouts] OK
• [W 76th St roundabout] Roundabouts are a safe and efficient intersection treatment :)
• [W 76th St roundabout] Roundabouts ALL DAY LONG
• [W 76th St roundabout] NO!!
• [One-way cycle track + sidewalks] OK
• [One-way cycle track + sidewalks] Bike facilities positive – all. Preference one-way
• [Two-way cycle track + sidewalks] KEEP BIKE TRACKS ON SIDEWALKS
• [Two-way cycle track + sidewalks] 2-way is preference
• [Side path + sidewalk] OK
• [Side path + sidewalk] Choose the Side Path & Sidewalk option to minimize the need to minimize
the need to take more yard space from existing residents & to lessen the numerous options
distractions when driving other options would create.
• No roundabout, must have Bus Pullout, No Stupid concrete Medians at a bus stop, Flashing lights
for Crossing
• Intersection Sight Lines (Bus Shelters)
• The poster boards mention safer facilities for walking, rolling, and biking. Does running need to
be called out also? Seems they would need a wide bearth to bob & weave around non-runners.
I’m personally not a runner, so I may be making assumptions.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page10
• No bicycle track
Demographic sticker activity
Pronouns
Answer Count Percentage
She/Her 6 40%
He/Him 9 60%
They/Them 0 0%
Other 0 0%
Age
Answer Count Percentage
Under 18 0 0%
18-34 8 42%
35-50 3 16%
50-65 2 11%
66+ 6 32%
Do you have a disability?
Answer Count Percentage
No 14 88%
Yes 2 13%
Race/Ethnicity
Answer Count Percentage
White and/or European descent 12 71%
Hispanic or Latino 2 12%
More than one race 1 6%
Black or African American 1 6%
Asian 1 6%
Alaskan Native or American Indian 0 0%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0 0%
Languages
Answer Count Percentage
English 18 86%
Spanish 2 10%
Other 1 5%
Somali/Oromo 0 0%
Russian 0 0%
Karen 0 0%
Thai 0 0%
Hmong 0 0%
Mandarin/Cantonese 0 0%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page11
Attachment 2: Questionnaire results
Q1 – Do you support the 3-lane roadway configuration for Nicollet Avenue?
Answer Count Percentage
Yes 68 82%
No 15 18%
Q2 - Is there anything else you would like to share about the recommended roadway
configuration?
• It should be far less open center turn lane. If it must be three-lane, the lane widths should be at
the state minimum to control speeding.
• I’d like to see us visit a two lane roadway or two lanes with a boulevard to introduce more green
space.
• Need safe crosswalks. Current crosswalks don't feel safe. Want protected bike lane.
• Two lanes with left turn lanes only where needed. Three lanes is too wide and will encourage
speeding. Design it like Lyndale Ave between 31st and Minnehaha Pkwy instead.
• Priorities for me are pedestrian safety and public transportation. I live a half a block off of Nicollet
and my child crosses it twice a day to get to school.
• 3 lane is only necessary at intersections. Consider narrowing to 2 between intersections or even
across lower-volume intersections with forced RIRO. Create a chicaning effect to calm traffic,
similar to Lyndale through South Minneapolis.
• Increasing traffic calming measures to reduce vehicles from driving over speed limit.
• Traffic calming slow speed
• need to go back to a 4 lane road
• Would like to see more traffic calming measures put in place to reduce vehicle speed
• Would be great to see two way multiple use trails added and/or two way cycle paths.
• Bike infrastructure is critical - I would not support any plan that did not include safety for both
bicyclists and pedestrians. As someone who involved in a ped (someone else) and bike (me)
when the ped stepped directly in front of me, I was the most seriously injured due to
speed/velocity,
• Reduce vehicle speeds with traffic calming measures
• Looks good
• Having the driving lanes, and especially the center turning lane, be as narrow as possible (10' lane
width, 8' center) would be great!
• I'm not sure if I have seen a street that has a turn lane running the entire length of the street. I am
wondering if it could increase the potential for accidents if people use it to pass slower drivers.
• My support for this option hinges on providing adequate infrastructure for biking and walking.
• "IF you have to put in round abouts, MAKE SURE they have clear lines of sight.
The roundabout at Target in Richfield is a prime example of what NOT to do. Lines of sight are
obstructed."
• I definitely agree with the 3-lane roadway, it is commonly used throughout the metro area and
doesn't require reeducating the user.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page12
• I would love to have separated bike lanes that are in both heading North and South alongside
wider sidewalks and shade trees separating bike/ped with cars. I would be very disappointed to
see paint that is considered a bike path. I would challenge project planners who are working on
this and the folks who decide on the final design "If you have a kid would you let them bike on
the path?". Thank you for asking for recommendations.
• Median with turn lanes only at intersections (see 66th St).
• I always will want less space for cars and more safe space for people to travel by bike, on foot,
and by transit. We've given cars too much space in our city.
• If there is to be no on-road provision for cyclists then the speed limits should be reduced.
• Nope. Happy with the option!
• Needs more traffic calming design. 2 lane with turns, fine, but full, unobstructed, 3 lane designs
will do nothing to support traveling at the posted speeds.
• Please make as many roundabouts with as many different traffic patterns as you can. We'd like to
set the Guinness record.
• I don’t see enough speed calming devices. Three lane roads are known to speed traffic compared
to two lanes, increasing pedestrians injury and death. Therefore, more speed calming such as
speed bumps and small curves to slow traffic are necessary.
• I would like there to be 2-lane configuration as much as possible
• Medians whenever possible. Discourage passing especially near PED crossings
• No boulevards though, Portland's are too small and impossible to safely slow down and get into
the turn lane.
Roundabout needed at 73rd and Nicollet with crosswalks + lighted walk signals"
• Medians where people crossing the street can pause in the middle. Example is 72 and Nicollet
• I travel Nicollet Avenue often. My mode is typically by bicycle. My preference is to prioritize all
modes except single occupancy vehicles. It will be MANY years until we have a chance to redo this
road. Please strongly consider:
- A one-way bikeway as the first choice and the safest option for pedestrians and cyclists; a
two-way as the second choice.
- Lower the targeted speed limit to 25 mph.
- Narrow the lanes to help support traffic calming (currently shown wider than the
minimum required). Narrowing lanes would also bring Option 1 more in line with Options
2 and 3 in terms of row width.
- Ensure a high-quality bike/pedestrian crossing at every block.
- Reduce the open left turn lane in locations where it is impossible to turn left anyway (e.g.,
add a median or other raised barrier adjacent to Augsburg Park).
- Do everything you can to allow for street trees/shade.
Thanks!
• +1 for One Way Cycle track option. A vehicle driver turning at an intersection or driveway has best
opportunity to see cyclists, as traveling in same direction as vehicle traffic. Avoids cyclists
switching sides of street at ends of path. Design already proven on 66th St.
• Please make sure parking is impacted in such a way to ensure clear vision for all users.
• Will there be on street parking? I think that should be a priority.
• Strongly prefer this configuration over choices that require U-turns
• In order to make this a true 3-lane roadway, the concrete medians will need to be removed and
no new roundabouts built. If this indeed is the preferred option, as stated, then make it so. If
other "features" are involved, then don't call it a 3-lane roadway. Marked pedestrian crossings
with flashing lights can be installed without additional "features".
• -like the pedestrian activated lights!
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page13
-take away the Sunday parking on street
-The traffic by Holy Angels with the roundabout gets really backed up. I think a double
roundabout would be too much
-larger/bigger curbs/sidewalks for strollers"
• Follow Portland Avenue as a model where possible.
• Looking forward to the time after the 494/Nicollet exists; entrances are closed so there will be less
traffic!
• Nicollet Avenue Open House
Open House February 29, 2024
Please consider safety of bikes on Nicollet Avenue with one lane traffic each way. During certain
times of day, morning, afternoon and evening there is considerable congestion and back up with
the number of round-a-bouts already on Nicollet.
A consideration might be to mirror the 66th Street design, where the bike lanes are located above
the street, adjacent to the walking paths.
If you drive around the non-major streets of Richfield, you would notice the number of cars per
household has increased. Where it was 1 or 2, you now find 3 or 4, probably due to family
households coming together to afford the purchase of a home in Richfield. Or, because the adult
son or daughter cannot afford an apartment or house on their own. On our block alone, we have
several households with 2 or more adult children living in the home with 1 or 2 parents.
Additionally, we have 14 homes with 24 vehicles, all used on a daily basis for work or errands. I
believe you will find this common in many areas.
While the idea of encouraging people to walk or ride bikes or take public transportation is
enticing, the reality is that most people will drive to stores, work, recreation areas such as the
library, the community center and now playground, and parks, especially in the cold, winter
months that take up a good part of the year.
Whether older or younger adults, cars are still the most used vehicle in Richfield. People with
walking issues, other disabilities, more than 1 child, grocery shopping, going to their faith
community find using vehicles the best way to get around Richfield.
Please consider the needs of the many, not what is trendy or looks good in newsprint or
magazine articles, or is of use to only a small percentage of residents or people passing through
the city.
Last, please consider the expense to completely restructure an area that is not very old and
whether the reconstructing best serves the needs at this time. Respectfully, thank you for this
opportunity.
• Nicollet Ave Open House
Thursday, Feb 29
4:30-6:30
Bike lanes were already put in, and driving lanes were reduced. Being a frequent user of Nicollet, I
rarely see a bike on this (or any) route. Please keep in mind those of us who use motor vehicles as
a primary mode of transporting ourselves, children, groceries, and elderly - for near, medium, and
far distances.
Consider your constituency and the climate in which we live. There are reasons why the bike lanes
are used so little in comparison with the motor vehicle lanes. Follow the numbers.
A left-turn arrow on SB Nicollet at 77th St. has still not been installed. Such an easy way to make
the intersection safer - which is the city's/county's declared goal. This is puzzling.
• Safe cycling/ped on turns are key. I also like the 25 mph option to increase safety.
• Yes without Bumpouts
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page14
Please remove the concrete from the roadway. If you must have it paint the Total end with
retroreflective paint. I see all the tire marks from cars bouncing over them sometimes blowing low
profile tires and damaging rims.
Keep lanes straight for snow removal!
• Not sure
One way cycle tracks are safest option for cyclist.
The other option create situations going against traffic. Drivers never look. I'm tired of coming
close to being a hood ornament because drivers are unaware of the designs limitation and pull up
to the intersection without looking both ways.
• Please make whatever is decided bike & walk friendly and consider continuity with Nicollet North
& South of this section
• Keep speed limit at 35, or lower. Add medians like on Portland.
• Bump outs make turns too sharp
No Bump outs
No extensions
any semifores have L turn arrows
Bike safety with No lane on Road
• I'd like to see a focus on cycling, pedestrian, and traffic calming infrastructure.
• No Roundabouts
No medians
• -Prefer Sidewalk & side path.
-Prefer light at 67th
-Agree that 73rd and 70th could benefit from a round-about. They need to be big enough to
allow buses and semis to traverse.
-76th should still be a traffic light
-Bumpout intersections at 74th & 75th seem appropriate
-Perhaps a flasher at 72nd pedestrian crossing?
• Pedestrian crossings please! I hope the county considers more & better marked (w/ flashing
lights) ped crossings. This crossing provides access to a park, the library, highschool, community
center, day car center, AHA, etc. etc. Let's give the community (and our kids!) safe crossings. Love
the bike paths too!!
• I would like some traffic calming measures as well. The three-lane configuration without traffic
calming will not meaningfully encourage drivers to use caution and makes crossing intersections
more difficult for pedestrians and cyclists. Curb extensions and other traffic calming measures
would be essential to making sure the road works for all modes of transport.
• I would like more traffic calming measures to reduce vehicle speed
Q3 – Considering the benefits and trade-offs, please rank the sidewalk and bikeway options in
order of your preference
One-way cycle track
Average rank: 1.4
Rank Count Percentage
1 42 74%
2 10 18%
3 5 9%
Two-way cycle track
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page15
Average rank: 1.8
Rank Count Percentage
1 10 19%
2 43 80%
3 1 2%
Sidewalk and sidepath
Average rank: 2.7
Rank Count Percentage
1 9 16%
2 1 2%
3 45 82%
Q4 – Is there anything else you would like to share about the sidewalk and bikeway options?
• I prefer 1-way both sides!
• Why do bike lanes have to be on highest vehicle routes? Many streets & Ave's would be better
suited!
• If a bikeway is installed that goes against traffic such as the two way cycle path or
sidewalk/sidepath and a car pulls in front of me causing a crash, can I sue the planners and gov't
for selecting a bad design? Also, how many miles do designers ride every year? They need to ride.
• Sidewalks maintained for safe walking. Very hazardous at night. Coordinate snow removal on
sidewalks with street snow removal. Winter walking has forced pedestrians to walk in the street.
Give bike lanes additional width.
• My answers for this were in general, since they don't correspond with the options presented
today.
• I know it will take more right-of-way, but would it be safer to have a sidewalk on each side, & a
bike lane on each side following the vehicle traffic direction?
• 1 pedestrian walk on one side, 2-way biking on other & pedestrian?
• The sidepath is not a bikeway option and should not have even been presented. This has been
designated as a bike route for over a decade.
• Either if the cycle tracks is fine for me. I bike and see that as important but there are other nearby
options. Pedestrian ease and safety is most important.
• I don't bike here now, but I will if you build the one-way cycle track. This is the best solution. We
live in a climate crisis, and we have to make biking so much more appealing than it is now if we
want our communities to reach our climate goals for the next decades. Safe and easy to
understand bikeways, like this one-way design are critically important.
• Sidewalk and side path would be a severe downgrade.
• do a survey on how many bikes you see using this road and in the wintertime there are almost
none using it
you seem to favor bikes and pedestrians
• Would be great to see two way multiple use trails added and/or two way cycle paths. This
becomes an easy decision IMO when considering equal ROW and tree impacts of single lane.
Removing opportunities to be killed by cars, through design change, is the best option.
• Drop the side path option
• I understand the one way cycle track may have the biggest ROW impact, but it provides the best,
safest alternative for all road users. If something unexpected prevents using that option, the two
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page16
way cycle track would have the least (but still non-zero!) adverse impact. The multi-use path
should not be considered as it represents the worst of these options.
• I really like the one-way cycle track because it keeps cyclists on the correct side of the street and
gives both pedestrians and cyclists the most dedicated space to minimize interference.
• I'd love to see if there's a budget for a bike repair station somewhere along the route
• I overlook the 66th & Lyndale roundabout and one-way cycle track on 66th street. This is the best
option for both riders and walkers. Riders currently use the designated bike area to ride both
ways (East and West) ... directional arrows do not influence people from using the bike path their
chosen way.
• Normally I am a fan of the Two-way, but the One-way pairs well with the rest of Richfield's bike
network.
• I live on Clinton Ave / 69th and use Nicollet as my main cycling North/South route. I am a
relatively fast cyclist and the off-street paths add significant time to any trip and are far more
dangerous. I've been hit by motorists twice within Richfield. Both times have been on dedicated
cycle paths at intersections (additionally, I've had to slam on the brakes when I have the right of
way to avoid a collision more times than I can count). Because they're set back from the street
people don't look and/or don't see a faster moving cyclist.
With Nicollet eventually becoming a bridge over 494 without exit ramps I was hoping we'd have
on-street bike lane to be able to connect Bloomington and Minneapolis bike lanes through
Richfield.
Presumably the issue here is that Nicollet must be narrower than Portland or Lyndale - but those
setups with a dedicated lane are ideal for anyone who rides faster than 10mph.
• I don't think we need to go all out with the one-way option. I really like the idea of sidewalks on
both sides, so as a walker, I won't need to cross the street to get out of the bike lane.
• Majority of traffic is not Richfield traffic, most pedestrians are Richfield residents and good chunks
of the road are residential or non-commercial. The road should serve and respect those who live
here first and not simply be a thoroughfare.
• Cycling is an inherently social form of transportation, and for that reason I really like the two way
bike way. The nine mile creek trail that runs through richfield is a really nice feature and I would
love to see more of that. That being said, the one way cycle track would likely integrate better
with the existing one way design along 66th.
• I really like using the one-way bikeways on 66th and how the sidewalk is separated. I like how if I
need or want to merge into the thru-lane such as when snow removal hasn't been completed yet
on parts of it, I can do so much easier than a two-way configuration or sidepath unless the
sidepaths are on both sides of the street.
• Multi use path is too confusing. Most assume striped path is for bicycles, inline skates, etc. One
way bike paths plus sidewalk makes most sense and probably better for snow clearance
• Consider moving bike path one block over. No bike path on Nicollet
• I am an avid cyclist. I strongly prefer the two way cycle path option.
• Love the path options! Will also spruce up the very poor sidewalks there...
• I'd rather see on street bike lanes but if it has to be off street then please make sure all the curbs
to ride up and down every intersection are smooth. 9 miles creek bike trail along 76th is ROUGH
to ride because of all the abrupt up and down curb transitions
• One way track already proven along 66th St. Best opportunity for vehicle drivers to see cyclists, as
traveling in same direction and side as vehicle traffic.
• As a confident cyclist, I'd have no issues just taking the road if I need it with a two way.
Please also ensure that the start of this infrastructure is safe and easy to access. (Unlike Bryant and
31st.)
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page17
Finally, please make sure there is a true separation between bike and sidewalk to avoid
pedestrians wandering into the bikelane. It creates safety issues and tension thst doesn't need to
be there.
•I think anytime you put all the traffic-separated bike lanes on one side of the road, you invite
cyclists to be IN the road if they're going the opposite direction -- so I think the one-way cycle
track is by far the safest for cyclists, and the least likely to increase conflicts between bikes and
cars. This model also matches with what's in place on 66th St, so there is precedent in the
community and people know how it works.
The sidewalk & sidepath model is currently in place on 76th St and it is fine, but I think there is
also FAR less traffic on 76th at Nicollet than in the corridor being planned.
•I truly do not think that any of these is realistic. People will walk and ride on whichever side of the
street is more convenient for them - not necessarily follow ""the plan"". There are very few bikers
on Nicollet at any time of the year, so making premiere paths for that use should not necessarily
be a priority. It would be good for the county and city planners of this project to take some lawn
chairs and sit on the boulevard of Nicollet for a couple of hours to see just what happens on this
major artery. I think that we all know that dedicated paths/sidewalks are, in reality, not used as
such. Everyone will use whatever path or sidewalk there is however they wish. And with so little
""rolling"" on Nicollet, it works fine.
Also - Nicollet Ave in Richfield is nothing like what is shown in the depictions. It is a mix of
commercial/churches and schools, and older residential, along with one block of park. It would
be nice if the developers of this project would have an accurate idea of how it would look.
In addition, Richfield has had the tendency to plant trees along major roadways and then not care
for them as needed, thereby having to remove them and replant others a few years later - at
great expense. Why not just make the sidewalks/paths new, renewing the current curb-and-
boulevard footprint?
•I have found the two-way cycle path configuration to be very effective on nearby 66th Ave.
Keeping pedestrians and cyclists on separate paths would be safest for both modes. It also makes
bike travel more predictable for cars on the road.
Q5 –Considering the benefits and trade-offs, please rank the improvement options in order of your
preference.
76th Street intersection – Traffic signal
Average rank: 1.6
Rank Count Percentage
1 21 38%
2 35 63%
76th Street intersection – Roundabout
Average rank: 1.2
Rank Count Percentage
1 50 78%
2 14 22%
75th Street intersection – Bumpouts/curb extensions
Average rank: 1.3
Rank Count Percentage
1 38 67%
2 19 33%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page18
75th Street intersection – Bumpouts/curb extension and right-in/right-out (closed median)
Average rank: 1.5
Rank Count Percentage
1 29 53%
2 26 47%
74th Street intersection – Bumpouts/curb extensions
Average rank: 1.3
Rank Count Percentage
1 39 70%
2 17 30%
74th Street intersection – Bumpouts/curb extension and right-in/right-out (closed median)
Average rank: 1.5
Rank Count Percentage
1 26 48%
2 28 52%
73rd Street intersection – Bumpouts/curb extensions
Average rank: 2.5
Rank Count Percentage
1 5 10%
2 17 33%
3 29 57%
73rd Street intersection – Median crossing (pedestrian refuge median)
Average rank: 1.8
Rank Count Percentage
1 15 30%
2 29 58%
3 6 12%
73rd Street intersection – Roundabout
Average rank: 1.4
Rank Count Percentage
1 47 78%
2 3 5%
3 10 17%
72nd Street intersection – Bumpouts/curb extensions
Average rank: 1.4
Rank Count Percentage
1 26 46%
2 31 54%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page19
72nd Street intersection – Median crossing (pedestrian refuge median)
Average rank: 1.3
Rank Count Percentage
1 42 71%
2 17 29%
71st Street intersection – 2-lane section with bumpouts/curb extensions
Average rank: 1.3
Rank Count Percentage
1 41 69%
2 18 31%
72nd Street intersection – 3-lane section with closed medians (right-in/right-out)
Average rank: 1.5
Rank Count Percentage
1 25 49%
2 26 51%
70th Street intersection – Traffic signal
Average rank: 1.7
Rank Count Percentage
1 16 31%
2 35 69%
70th Street intersection – Roundabout
Average rank: 1.2
Rank Count Percentage
1 53 80%
2 13 20%
69th Street intersection – Bumpouts/curb extensions
Average rank: 1.4
Rank Count Percentage
1 39 65%
2 21 35%
69th Street intersection – Bumpouts/curb extension and right-in/right-out (closed median)
Average rank: 1.5
Rank Count Percentage
1 26 52%
2 24 48%
68th Street intersection – Bumpouts/curb extensions
Average rank: 1.4
Rank Count Percentage
1 35 63%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page20
2 21 38%
68th Street intersection – Bumpouts/curb extension and right-in/right-out (closed median)
Average rank: 1.5
Rank Count Percentage
1 27 54%
2 23 46%
67th Street intersection – Traffic signal
Average rank: 1.6
Rank Count Percentage
1 18 36%
2 32 64%
67th Street intersection – Roundabout
Average rank: 1.2
Rank Count Percentage
1 51 78%
2 14 22%
Q6 –Is there anything else you would like to share about the intersection design options?
• It would be nice to eliminate signals as much as possible. But please don't cheat the bikeway
design to make a roundabout fit, as we did on Lyndale. We need adequate space to maintain a
full bikeway design. I also love the idea of bumpouts but I am concerned about how pedestrians
will get to the Nicollet sidewalks safely from the side streets. Could sidewalk stubs on both sides
of side streets be added to connect to the wider part of the roadway? (ie, pedestrians and vehicles
share the road, but as you get within 50 or 100' of Nicollet, you separate the two — providing
sidewalks for peds and a narrower road space exclusively for vehicles)
I am also unclear about the design shown for 71st & Nicollet. It makes sense to have it be two-
lane there, but why can't the lanes shift around a median at 71st? Wouldn't it help speeding to
make cars not go in a totally straight line. I want a two-lane design by Augsburg and a crossing
median at 71st, please.
• Every intersection should put high priority on protected bike lanes. Intersections are the most
dangerous spot for bicyclists unless they are designed properly.
• It’s great to see pedestrian safety being a priority for road design. Anything that can reduce
vehicle travel and better manage “car brain” is a net positive. Hope at least some of these
roadway design changes are implemented!
• Looks good
• Roundabouts and medians are great! Crossing multiple lanes without medians is unpleasant.
Avoid using traffic lights.
• I don't think I understand what a bump out is. I don't like closed medians because I think people
should be able to turn in the direction they want to go. I am also not a fan of stoplights because
they cause unnecessary delays and traffic backups.
• Would love to see benches and places to rest if possible
• My POV ... Due to the increase in vehicle chases and speeding, the safest option is the
roundabout. It deters offenders from endangering the public by putting built in roadblocks into
our streets that lead from city to city.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page21
• In my experience, drivers DO NOT drive slower and more carefully around the right-in, right-out
pedestrian refuges. They fly through the area as if there's no traffic calming whatsoever. It is for
this reason that I favor the roundabout bc at least the complexity of a roundabout and the fact
that drivers have to try and pay attention to when they can enter the roundabout slows them
down more. I still don't think it's great for pedestrians crossing near a roundabout bc drivers are
paying more attention to other cars, not human bodies that they might slam into.
• If medians are to be added/replaced, low lying greenery like native prairie plants should be
placed instead of concrete.
• None of these address cyclists on the road
• I'm all for roundabouts and prefer them BUT the Lyndale design is SO clunky. Please please please
don't go that route. It looks like so much concrete. There's no green. No pause moment to breath.
I'd love to see a design that incorporates roundabouts but doesn't rely solely on them for long
stretches of the road.
Overall, I'm happy with the proposals. I LOVE the Portland update from a few years ago. The trees,
the walking and biking spaces. It's great. Even a mix of Lyndale roundabouts and the Portland
design would work!
• At intersections with bumpouts, median pedestrian refuges, or right in right out, I would love to
see the addition of raised crosswalks.
• Consider the traffic speed goals. If it’s 25-30mph, you are not doing enough to slow traffic here. If
it’s 30-40, you may be. If it’s more than 40mph, WHY?!?
• Richfield did a great job with 66th and adding many of those features to nicollet would be a vast
improvement
• Def roundabout at 73rd. 67th keep as a light because of the current backups experienced going
north on Nicollet to 66th roundabout. 2 roundabouts that close will be nearly impossible and
people will be stuck in the 67th roundabout
• Pedestrian / cyclist crossing lights at busy intersections
• I really love the roundabout options at the noted intersections especially with the nearby
playground (very popular), park, community center, library, and school. Although some drivers
have trouble navigating them, the safety data is very compelling. Plus, when traffic is light, you
can keep moving rather than stopping at a stop sign or light. Safety features like flashing lights
are simple to use and make it feel safer to cross on foot or by bike.
• I live near Nicollet and 76th and cross Nicollet regularly (by car, on foot, and by bike). I would FAR
prefer a standard light (as the expectations are clear for everyone) at this intersection over a
roundabout (a choice I deliberately didn't rank for this location because I so deeply DO NOT
WANT IT).
Similarly, I think it's silly to add a roundabout at 67th when one already exists at 66th.
Pedestrian refuge medians are important in this corridor, but right-in/right-out medians create a
situation where people have to make a u-turn or go around the block (sending traffic onto more
residential streets).
• Oh, for heaven's sake - STOP! Stop with the bump-outs, roundabouts, medians, plantings, etc.
etc. These are roadways. Let them be roadways, and let us access them for whatever purpose -
driving, walking, or ""rolling"" - as we know how to do.
Traffic signals with left-turn arrows would be a great improvement. Roundabouts only complicate
and make more dangerous a pedestrian's crossing of roadways - not to mention increased
possibilities for crashes, as drivers must be alert for not only pedestrians, but also for traffic flow
from the left and being aware of which vehicle(s) might dart in front of them as the circle is
navigated.
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page22
Bump-outs and medians will take away from the ""most popular"" proposed choice of a 3-lane
road.
Again - traffic signals with left-turn arrows, painted pedestrian crosswalks with flashing lights to
turn on when needed are sufficient. Give people credit for knowing when to cross a street on
foot. If something different has to be done, perhaps at 73rd Street, why not put in low speed-
bumps near the intersection to call drivers' attention to the major crosswalk?
And please NO to the concrete blockages from the side streets - the ""right in , right out"" option.
Which would be yet another take-away from the 3-lane road.
Get out your lawn chairs and see what Nicollet Ave is all about!
• For 68th Street near the church & school, I am preferring no mention if there are flashing
pedestrian lights (safer for kids). If there are no pedestrian lights, I prefer the median.
• I generally prefer roundabouts when driving but find that they feel pretty unfriendly when on a
bike. It should at least be easier to activate crossing signals when on a bike to increase safety but I
would be interested in other options for improvement for biking and walking.
Q7 – Which best describes your gender identity?
Answer Count Percentage
Man 44 60%
Woman 25 34%
I prefer not to
respond
4 5%
Nonbinary 0 0%
Transgender 0 0%
Other 0 0%
Q8 – What is your age?
Answer Count Percentage
Under 18 0 0%
18-34 31 42%
35-50 19 26%
50-65 12 16%
66+ 9 12%
I prefer not to
respond
2 3%
Q9 – Do you identify as someone with a disability?
Answer Count Percentage
No 57 80%
Yes 10 14%
I prefer not to
respond
4 6%
Q10 – How do you describe your race/ethnicity?
Answer Count Percentage
White and/or European descent 67 87%
Hispanic, Latino/a/x, and/or indigenous
to Central or South America
3 4%
NICOLLET AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION / Phase 3 Summary Page23
I prefer not to respond 3 4%
More than one race 2 3%
Black or African American 1 1%
Other 1 1%
Asian/Pacific American, Asian/Pacific
Islander (API), and/or of API descent
0 0%
American Indian, Native American,
Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, and/or
indigenous to North America
0 0%
Q10 – What language(s) do you speak at home?
Answer Count Percentage
English 73 94%
Spanish 3 4%
Other language 2 3%
Somali/Oromo 0 0%
Russian 0 0%
Karen 0 0%
Thai 0 0%
Hmong 0 0%
Mandarin/Cantonese 0 0%
Nicollet Avenue reconstruction County Road 52 in RichfieldAddressing the problemsGoals:Community problem statement:There is a need to improve safety and comfort for people who travel along and across Nicollet Avenue, including people walking, rolling, riding bicycles, taking the bus, and driving a personal vehicle. The dated corridor doesn’t address all modes equitably and needs modernization to serve the needs of the community for the next 50+ years. The corridor is uninviting, lacking in aesthetics, environmental sustainability, green space, vegetation, and street lighting. Finally, the pavement quality and ADA facilities do not meet Hennepin County or City of Richfield standards. The following are specific goals for the project which have been developed to address the community problem statement. These goals will be used to evaluate alternative improvement options along the corridor. Provide safer facilities and crossing opportunities for people walking, rolling and biking.• Safe spaces: Create places for people to walk and bike with adequate separation from motor vehicle traffic in accordance with the Hennepin County Mobility 2040 Plan and the City of Richfield Active Transportation Plan. • Safe crossings:Provide enhanced opportunities for people walking and biking to cross the street at convenient locations. • Human-scale elements: Include features to support walking and biking, such as pedestrian level lighting, shade trees, trash cans, and places to sit. Create safe, secure and comfortable places for everyone to travel, regardless of their age or ability.• Speed: Design the street to promote safe vehicle travel speeds.• Crashes:Reduce crash severity. • Traffic: Provide for an acceptable level of traffic delay and traffic queuing.• Pavement quality: Create an adequate travel surface for all users.Improve the look and feel of the corridor and foster environmental sustainability.• Green space: Provide space for more trees, larger boulevards and plantings along the corridor.• Sustainability:Create opportunities to improve water quality with green stormwater infrastructure where feasible (i.e., rain gardens, tree trenches, sustainable plantings, etc.) and promote environmental resiliency in accordance with Hennepin County’s Climate Action Plan. • Public art: Explore possibilities for public art and wayfinding. Improve bus travel by creating comfortable stops and reliable travel experiences.• Waiting areas: Create safe and comfortable places for people to wait for the bus.• Reliable travel time:Provide reliable travel times along the corridor for all vehicles. Did we get it right? What would you change? Grab a post-it note and share your comments.
2' CONC WALL MAILROCKROCKROCKMAILMAILSIDEWALK
6'
BIKE LANE
6.5'
DRIVING LANE
10'
CENTER TURN LANE
11'BIKE LANE
6.5'
SIDEWALK
6'
DRIVING LANE
10'BLVD
8'
BLVD
8'
GUTTER
2'
GUTTER
2'
MENARDS
7701 NICOLLET AVENUE
GAS STATION
SUPERAMERICA
AVENUE
7720 NICOLLET
ANDALE TAQUERIA & MERCADO
7700 NICOLLET AVENUE
760076087614
7620
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76017609761376197623
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75007508751475207526753275387544
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7345 - 7343 7339 - 7337 7333 - 7331
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7308 7300 7244
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7232 7226
7220 7214
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7245 7241 7237 7233 7229 7225 7221 7217 7213 7209 7201-7201
HENNEPIN COUNTY LIBRARY
7100 NICOLLET AVENUE
7145 7141 7137 7133
7129
CHURCH INTERNATIONAL
RESURRECTION POWER
7101 NICOLLET AVENUE 7045
AUGSBURG PARK
CENTER
COMMUNITY
RICHFIELD
7000 NICOLLET AVE
7033
7029
7025
7021 7019 7015 7009 7005 7001
CHIROPRACTIC & MASSAGE
BACK TO HEALTH
6944 NICOLLET AVENUE
EARLY LEARNING CENTER
SPANISH IMMERSION
6949 NICOLLET AVENUE
& HOME LOANS
REAL ESTATE SALES
CORNERSTONE
6945 NICOLLET AVE
6936
6941
6920 6914 6908 6900
6937 6935 - 6933
6927
6921 6915
6909 6901
6844
6838 6832 6826
6802 - 6800
6810 - 6808
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6822 - 6820
6829
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6819 6815 6811 6805 6803
CATHOLIC SCHOOL
ST. PETER'S
6720 NICOLLET AVENUE
6744
6740
6745 6739 6733 6727 6721 6715 6711 6705 6701
HOLY ANGELS
ACADEMY OF
6600 NICOLLET AVENUE
6641
6635 6633 6629
6625
BEST BUY MOBILE
U.S. ARMY CAREER CENTER
HOT COMICS & COLLECTABLES
6601 NICOLLET AVENUE
67TH E.
10 & 12
AUGSBURG PARK
RICHFIELD
7000 NICOLLET AVE AUGSBURG PARK
RICHFIELD
7000 NICOLLET AVE
CHURCH INTERNATIONAL
RESURRECTION POWER
7101 NICOLLET AVENUE
CHURCH INTERNATIONAL
RESURRECTION POWER
7101 NICOLLET AVENUE
7205
MENARDS
MENARDSMENARDS7701 NICOLLET AVENUELOCATION
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CURB & GUTTER / MEDIAN / ISLAND
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EXISTING RIGHT OF WAY
BIKE LANE
METRO TRANSIT LOCAL ROUTE 18*
TRAFFIC FLOW ARROW
PARCEL LINE
TRANSIT STATION LOCATIONS*
POTENTIAL FUTURE ARTERIAL BUS RAPID
UNDER REVIEW
*FINAL BUS STOP LOCATIONS ARE
0'
SCALE
40''20
UNDER REVIEW
FUTURE BIKE FACILITY CONNECTION
EXISTING OR PLANNED BIKE FACILITY
RETAINING WALL
CSAH 52 - Nicollet Avenue
PRELIMINARY - SUBJECT TO CHANGE
PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE LAYOUT
/24/20245
Hennepin County Project No. 2120800
RICHFIELD, MN LEGEND
TYPICAL SECTION A-A W 77TH ST100'83'83'83'66'83'66'67'83'100'83'73'100'100'E 77TH STW 76TH STE 76TH STW 75TH STE 75TH STW 74TH STE 74TH STW 73RD STE 73RD STW 72ND STE 72ND STE 71ST STW 70TH STE 70TH STW 69TH STE 69TH STW 68TH STE 68TH STE 67TH STW 67TH STE 66TH STW 66TH STNICOLLET AVE
NICOLLET AVE
ADJACENT MNDOT PROJECT
PROJECT LIMITS
PROJECT LIMITS
A
A
SIDEWALK
BIKE LANE
BOULEVARD
THRU/RT TURN LANE
TWO-WAY LEFT TURN LANE
THRU/RT TURN LANE
BOULEVARD
BIKE LANE
SIDEWALK
SIDEWALK
BIKE LANE
BOULEVARD
THRU/RT TURN LANE
TWO-WAY LEFT TURN LANE
THRU/RT TURN LANE
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BIKE LANE
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THRU/RT TURN LANE
TWO-WAY LEFT TURN LANE
THRU/RT TURN LANE
BOULEVARD
BIKE LANE
SIDEWALK
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BIKE LANE
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THRU/RT TURN LANE
TWO-WAY LEFT TURN LANE
THRU/RT TURN LANE
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BIKE LANE
SIDEWALK
SIDEWALK
BIKE LANE
BOULEVARD
THRU/RT TURN LANE
TWO-WAY LEFT TURN LANE
THRU/RT TURN LANE
BOULEVARD
BIKE LANE
SIDEWALK
SIDEWALK
BIKE LANE
BOULEVARD
THRU/RT TURN LANE
TWO-WAY LEFT TURN LANE
THRU/RT TURN LANE
BOULEVARD
BIKE LANE
SIDEWALK
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THRU LANE
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External Funding UpdatesTransportation Commission/City Council Matt Hardegger (he/him)June 4th, 2024 Transportation Engineer
Overview• Staff have submitted $26.4 million in grant application in past 12months– MN Legislature Bonding (June 2023)• Nicollet Ave reconstruction: $10,000,000– USDOT Reconnecting Communities & Neighborhoods (September2023)• 76th/77th Street Corridor Study: $880,000– Met Council Regional Solicitation (5 projects, December 2023)• 64th Street Sidewalk (Lyndale to Portland): $853,660• 73rd Street Sidewalk (Portland to Cedar): $1,046,040• 73rd Street Bridge/Trail: $5,500,000• 76th Street Reconstruction (York to Sheridan): $3,857,192• 76th/Knox Intersection Control: $2,687,040– MnDOT Safe Routes to School (Feburary 2024)• Design Assistance (Sheridan Hils, RMS, RHS): $40,000• Infrastructure (70th Street from Elliot to 12th): $586,225– Community Project Funding - US Congress (April/May 2024)• 73rd Street Bridge/Trail Design $960,000
Nicollet Ave Bonding Request• $1.9M was included in preliminary project list from House and Senate leadership• Bonding bill did not reach legislative floor• Staff to re-evaluate for 2025 session
76th/77thStreet Corridor Study• Application unsuccessful• Staff have debriefed with USDOT• Plan to resubmit smaller scope in 2024
Regional Solicitation• If Current Met Councilfunding scenarios areadopted, 3 projects wouldbe funded:– 64thStreet Sidewalk(Lyndale to Portland)– 73rdStreet Sidewalk(Portland to Cedar)– 76th/Knox Intersection• Final TAB action expectedat July meeting• Sidewalk projects wouldoccur in 2026• 76th/Knox identified for 2028
Safe Routes to School• Two Successful Applications– Design Assistance• Sheridan Hills Elementary• Richfield Middle School• Richfield High School• Study occurring in 2024– Infrastructure• 70thStreet– STEM/RDLS– Construction to occur in 2025• School District awarded Planning Assistance grant
Community Project Funding• 73rdStreet Projectselected by Rep.Omar• If appropriated,design/engineeringwould occur in2025/26
(Apparent) Results• 10 applications submitted–2 confirmed successful– 2 confirmed unsuccessful– 6 awaiting formal action• 3 tentatively successful• 2 tentatively unsuccessful• 1 unknown• Expected return of $5.2-$6.2M of state &federal money• Expected local match of ~$1.4M over 5years.