Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Plans for a pedestrian underpass along France Avenue are being put on hold. City leaders have been studying ways to improve pedestrian access across the busy county road, which can be difficult to cross due to traffic volume and roadway design. About 20 years ago, the city conducted a study to look at different ways to improve the situation for pedestrians and bicyclists in this general area around greater Southdale. One of the biggest challenges that we found was finding a convenient and safe way to cross eight busy lanes of traffic on France Avenue. And today, with the construction of new buildings on both sides of this intersection, we looked into whether or not this is now an opportunity to build that next expansion. One option, a pedestrian underpass was identified as a promising solution, especially with nearby redevelopment projects at 72nd in France. But that option comes with a significant cost. The underpass is estimated at about $20 million.

When I look at a $20 million price tag, I can't come up with an ROI for that as the solution to that problem. But the problem does exist. If you want to go over, it's four times the cost. If you want to go under, it's eight times the cost. And that's kind of what we've we've seen here is that the cost is pretty significant to move um what you're estimating at 300 people a day.

Given that price tag, the city council has directed staff to pause planning for the underpass and instead work with Henipin County to explore more coste effective crossing options in the area. Maybe it's even worth us dusting dusting off some of the the bridge concepts and um making sure that we have a good understanding of how the 4x cost might be more feasible.