An article in the Star Tribune’s South Metro section popped up this morning entitled “Legislature mostly kind to southern suburbs” which talks about the ups and downs of 2008 legislative session for the South Metro.
1. Commuter Rail Service from Northfield to Minneapolis
A real big issue, especially for those that want the rail service (like residents of the South Metro who will never ever fucking see LRT service because of the hurdles it will take to cross The River. The most disturbing part of all of this is the fact that legislators from Edina, Bloomington and Lakeville have successfully blocked any and all consideration of the project several years ago.
Personally, I really think we need more commuter rail service ideas coming through, especially when gas prices are out the fucking ass. Enough with the non-sense about it endangering our children. Helicopter parents are all over that shit not permitting their kids to do anything without their every move being watched like flies on shit (well, except when they’re riding their bikes in townhouse developments).
2. Burnsville’s Quarry Project
A huge and disastrous waste of funds to convert an old quarry into a “park” along The River which likely won’t see any fruit until at least 2040. Analogous to the moronic fucking Heart of the City project which was denied funding by the legislature because the pointless project was already moving forward without their help (at least someone had some semblance of a brain on that one).
My favorite quote from the Star Tribune’s piece is that this piece of shitty property is labeled a “mini-Grand Canyon”. Excuse me, I just threw up in my mouth a little — probably from the stench wafting over from the enormous landfill and one of the nastiest sections of the Minnesota River.
To claim it will be the size of Lake Harriet is to do nothing other than try and put the idea in people’s heads that this $1 billion project will somehow make Burnsville’s next pet project something like Lake Harriet.
3. Replacement Bridge over the Minnesota River for Bikers
Thank fucking God! Finally, they approved some funding to replace the only viable option for those looking to bike from the South Metro to the other side of the river without having to travel down MN-13 to US-169 to cross. I never thought I’d see the day when that bridge was for anything other than those willing to risk life and limb to spray paint concrete stanchions under Cedar or to fish precariously from the rusted bridge instead of standing directly adjacent to the Black Dog Power Plant.
4. Traffic Improvement Funding
$55 million dollars to match what was necessary to receive $130+ million in federal dollars to alleviate traffic congestion along Cedar and 35W. The ideas include fucking toll roads that no one will use, much like the unused HOV lanes we already have, accelerated bus transit which was hotly contested by the Save Downtown Apple Valley folks.
—
Personally, I think the South Metro got the short end of the stick. More fucking pet projects were funded (such as the biker bridge due to whom Pawlenty was paying back Rep. Ann Lenczewski, a DFLer from Bloomington, who has supported his desire for an unnecessary and expensive second phase at the MoA), important projects like commuter rail continue to be ignored and Burnsville ends up with entirely too much money for a stupid park on a shitty piece of land that cannot be commercially developed next to a fucking landfill.
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June 4th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
I used to bike to work by heading down black dog road then across the river using the cedar avenue foot bridge. I think that route is still available for bike commuters….
Daniel llol
June 4th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
I was told the last time I was there that I shouldn’t even be walking across. That’s why I assumed it was not for anything other than looks.
I definitely could be wrong in that assumption — it wouldn’t be the first time :)
June 4th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
I just took Eryn down to the bridge (my 5 year old) to show her the downed trees, burned trees, beer bottles and graffiti (although not the graffiti where a whole in the ground had been turned into female pudenda) and waxed nostalgic about when my bike group used to bike across and I didn’t have to spend an extra 60 miinutes bike all the way up 13 to 494. I’m ecstatic about the bridge being fixed and opened for use.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:24 am
It’s about eff’ing time they got around to fixing that bridge. Although, it was my only valid excuse for not biking to work. I’ll have to come up with new reasons now.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I too am happy about the bridge funding.
Daniel, the Cedar Ave footbridge links to this bridge. There is no legal crossing there at all. There is/was actually a way to cross at 35W via some kind of raft-like thing you stood on and pulled yourself across with a rope. It wasn’t at all commuter friendly (nor safe) but was a way for the mountain bike and walking set to get from W. Bloomington down to the dirt paths along the river.
Dave, once you get across to Bloomington, it’s still kind of a pain in the ass to navigate around the mall and airport into downtown. And either direction, you have a good climb out of the River Valley along that route whereas the Mendota Bridge takes a lot of the elevation change out of the equation.
Besides it being an extra 10 miles, the ride from Burnsville over to the Mendota Bridge and up through Minnehaha Park and/or the River Roads are kind of pleasant. I don’t like biking around the MOA and the airport as much.
So there are your new excuses (and a whole bunch of extra commentary).
June 5th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
MSPD,
Do you mean this raft to cross Nine Mile Creek right at the outlet to the Minnesota River? It was still there in 2005 when Kim and I went geocaching in the area.
June 5th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Yeah. Here’s more info:
http://www.morcmtb.org/wiki/index.php/Minnesota_River_Bottom
June 5th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Personally, I won’t be happy until we have a Chili’s on the Cedar Ave strip…did they mention that at all in the legislature this session? I want my baby back baby back baby back ribs!!!!!
June 19th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
[...] of the new transit plan to alleviate traffic in the South Metro are BRT vehicles (aka Bus-Rapid-Transit) which the county believes will be an economical solution [...]
July 12th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
[...] posted before that during this year’s legislative session, $2 million was set aside to finally get a pedestrian/biking bridge to replace the currently condemned truss bridge that spans the Minnesota river between Burnsville [...]
August 28th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
[...] According to this article over at Thisweek, Burnsville’s Mayor Kautz is at it again, urging a big superstore to take up residence in the nastiest part of Burnsville as part of her push to revitalize the area that will soon become the second “jewel” of Burnsville, the quarry park project. [...]