Golden Valley To Build Roundabout, Underground Tunnel at Hwy 55 and Douglas Drive
Golden Valley is planning a big road construction project this summer to make a popular intersection safer for travelers.
The city will be installing a roundabout and a pedestrian underpass at the intersection of Highway 55 and Douglas Drive.
The busy intersection is flanked by a Metro Transit Station and the Perpich Center for Arts.
Each morning, groups of students who take public transportation have to dash across six lanes of rush hour traffic to reach their high school.
“A lot of times they’re rushing across in and out of traffic playing frogger, so the tunnel is a safety measure for them to pass under the highway,” explained RJ Kakach, Assistant City Engineer, Golden Valley.
Credit: City of Golden Valley
ROUNDABOUT WILL HELP WITH TRAFFIC FLOW
A mini roundabout is also planned at the intersection to help traffic flow and improve ADA accessibility.
The Three Rivers Luce Line Regional Trail runs adjacent to the project, but the city is not anticipating any impact to cyclists and joggers.
“Our project will provide a great connection to the trail once it is complete,” said Kakach.
But with all great road improvements comes inevitable delays and detours.
“There’ll be various lane closures and full closures of both Douglas Drive, Highway 55, and the frontage road,” Kakach said. “During construction, the primary detour for all that work is going to be using highways 100, 394 and 169.”
The city expects construction to take four to six months.
In the end, Kakach believes people will be happy with the improvements.
“The little bit of inconvenience during the summer here will really pay dividends this fall when the project is complete and open for commuters, residents, and anyone that is going to use the tunnel,” stated Kakach.
The city urges people who use this section of road to sign up for email updates to get current information on the project schedule and road closures.
You can find that information on the city’s website.
