Our Streets Minnesota has championed a vision to replace 7.5 urban miles of I-94 with an at-grade boulevard.
The "Twin Cities Boulevard" would stitch highway-adjacent neighborhoods back together, restoring long-severed neighborhood streets and access to businesses, services, jobs, schools and residences across the corridor in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
Boulevard proponents point out that thousands of new jobs and homes would be established on land made available by highway removal. The local tax base--still suffering from the effects of the pandemic--would increase. People who live near the highway would no longer breathe toxic fumes and ingest tire and brake dust from high-speed traffic.
MnDOT reviewed a boulevard model during its initial consideration of possible project "alternatives." Due to their internal findings, the agency proposes to exclude the boulevard idea from further study. Community members and experts disagree with MnDOT's analysis and are advocating that the boulevard alternatives advance.
See the Our Streets Twin Cities Boulevard webpage for details. Read the detailed Reimagining I-94 Report and learn why experts think a boulevard would work. Visit the Take Action page to sign a letter to Governor Walz and MnDOT leaders asking them to include the boulevard idea in additional study.
