The area surrounding the Ferry Street and Hwy. 10/169 interchange in Anoka is rife with problems. Traffic jams up frequently, crashes occur regularly and it’s quite noisy.
A bridge on Hwy. 10 spanning the Rum River just east of the interchange is wearing out. A few other nearby bridges also are starting to show their age. Pedestrian and cyclist safety features are lacking.
“Horrible” is how Minnesota Department of Transportation spokesman Kent Barnard described the situation.
MnDOT has a plan to make things better, and it’s spelled out in the Highway 10 Rum River Bridge Replacement Project. MnDOT has not been able to hold an open house to talk about the project because of COVID-19 restrictions prohibiting large gatherings, but it has an extensive presentation online and is accepting public feedback through the end of the month.
The condition of the 60-year-old Rum River bridge is driving the project. Not only is the bridge deteriorating, the deck is so low to the river that there isn’t enough clearance for crews to do inspections or maintenance. MnDOT wants to replace the bridge with a higher one in 2022 and take care of other projects at the same time.
That list includes rehabbing the 7th Avenue and the BNSF Railway bridges. It also includes rerouting the Rum River Regional Trail to align with a new bridge at 4th Avenue.
If MnDOT officials get the funding, they also want to tackle perhaps the two most vexing issues: traffic jams and noise.
It’s a good day if drivers during peak periods don’t have to wait in line to get off Hwy. 10 at Ferry Street, also known as Hwy. 47. And it’s a good day when drivers from Ferry Street can get onto eastbound Hwy. 10 with ease. The ramps don’t provide enough room to accelerate, making merging tricky, Barnard said.
MnDOT is looking to rebuild the Ferry Street interchange. The design would funnel traffic on Ferry and motorists entering or exiting Hwy. 10 through a single stoplight. It would improve traffic flow and safety by reducing conflict points and giving motorists green lights more often, according to transportation officials.
MnDOT plans to add auxiliary lanes between Ferry Street and 7th Avenue to handle the growing traffic volume. Projections show traffic will rise by up to 15,000 vehicles a day by 2040.
Residents near Hwy. 10 know it’s plenty loud. The area already exceeds state and federal noise standards, and all those extra vehicles will push the meter further into the red.
So MnDOT wants to put up noise walls standing 14 to 20 feet. A noise study concluded that six noise walls will cut noise for properties adjacent to the highway by at least five decibels.
“We want to increase safety, lessen congestion and improve traffic flow — those are the goals,” Barnard said.
The work comes as the Anoka County Transportation Department and the city of Ramsey are leading an effort to remove traffic lights at NW. Ramsey and Sunfish Lake boulevards and replace them with grade-separated interchanges similar to one installed at Armstrong Boulevard in 2016.
The goal, says Joe MacPherson, an Anoka County traffic engineer, is to make Hwy. 10 into a free-flowing freeway. It will cost about $138 million to upgrade the intersections and reroute adjacent roads. Officials hope to secure $40 million to $45 million in this year’s bonding bill, yet to be debated at the State Capitol.
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