2025-05-27 Work Session MinutesCITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Richfield, Minnesota
City Council Work Session
May 27, 2025
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Supple called the work session to order at 5:45 p.m. in the Bartholomew Room.
Council Present: Mary Supple, Mayor; Sharon Christensen; Walter Burk, Sean Hayford
Oleary, Rori A. Coleman-Woods
Staff Present:
Guests:
Katie Rodriguez, City Manager; Joe Powers, City Engineer; Kristin Asher,
Public Works Director; Matt Hardegger, Transportation Engineer; Michelle
Friedrich, City Clerk.
Andrew Latuya and Ryan Wilson, Minnesota Department of Transportation
(MnDOT)
ITEM #1 DISCUSSION ON I-494 PHASE 2 FOLLOWING AN UPDATE PRESENTATION
FROM MNDOT STAFF.
City Engineer Powers introduced the agenda item and turned the presentation over to Andrew
Latuya from MnDOT.
Andrew Latuya provided a comprehensive overview of the corridor vision and implementation plan.
He explained that decision-making for the corridor vision is conducted through a designated
committee and provided insight into how various committees and working groups—particularly the
bike and pedestrian work groups—contributed to shaping the design process. Mr. Latuya
highlighted the anticipated community benefits of the project and noted funding from multiple
sources, including Federal and State grants, as well as County and City funds.
Mr. Latuya presented a detailed overview of the corridor vision's scope and outlined the evaluation
criteria used in the implementation plan. Mr. Latuya noted the full implementation plan was shared,
showing how the project has been divided into four independent components, each of which can be
developed separately. Mr. Latuya also discussed the evaluation process and reported that the
decision regarding the 2nd Street pedestrian bridge was based on recommendations from the bike
work group.
During the Council discussion, questions were raised about the composition of the bike work group
and the process by which its decisions were made. City Engineer Power provided additional
context on the role and structure of the pedestrian and bike work group. Mr. Latuya addressed
several of the Council's questions related to the pedestrian bridge decision. Council also raised
City Council Work Session Minutes
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concerns about potential discrimination and accessibility issues that the existing bridge may
present for individuals with disabilities.
Mr. Latuya also noted new information on highway noise mitigation measures are being considered
by MnDOT on the project. He outlined the noise wall re-evaluation process and responded to
Council’s questions about whether residents would have the opportunity to reconsider construction
of noise walls if updated noise data becomes available. Council was adamantly firm if new
information was available, residents should also have an opportunity to reevaluate construction of
noise walls. In addition, Mr. Latuya provided preliminary information on the project's environmental
impacts, specifically related to air quality and greenhouse gas emissions. He noted that some
evaluation criteria are still under review for Phase 2. Council members indicated a strong interest in
receiving further details on the air quality and greenhouse gas studies and requested that this
information be presented at the next work session meeting.
Mr. Latuya noted feedback from Council and community input regarding the proposed project
completion timeline. He presented a draft proposal for traffic management and construction
staging, noting that the project is expected to span three years of construction. As part of the
presentation, he provided information on the planned bridge closure and shared data on current
daily traffic volumes for both the bridge and surrounding loops.
Council inquired about the timeline for gathering community input, to which Mr. Latuya responded
that feedback would be collected by the end of the year with updates to project documentation.
During the discussion, Council and Staff expressed concerns about being unaware of certain road
closures. Mr. Latuya acknowledged the challenges and outlined both the benefits and potential
difficulties associated with the proposal. Staff requested a more detailed analysis of anticipated
road closures to be presented at the next work session and communicated more clearly throughout
project construction.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Supple adjourned the work session at 6:52 pm.
Date Approved: June 10, 2025
Mary B. Supple
Mayor
Michelle Friedrich Katie Rodriguez
City Clerk City Manager