63rd Avenue Bridge Project To Create Safer Merging onto Highway 169
A major road construction project in the northwest metro kicked off this week and local businesses are already feeling the impact.
“A lot, a lot, yeah,” said Eliane Strouth, owner of Grill Hall Brazilian Steakhouse in Maple Grove. “Usually our weekend is beautiful, and right now, it’s really slow.”
Strouth, whose business sits along 63rd Avenue on the west side of Highway 169 said she has seen fewer customers since the 63rd Avenue bridge project began. The restaurant recently posted a plea to customers on Facebook to support Grill Hall during construction.
MnDOT tore down the bridge last weekend, and by doing so, cut off a major access point for businesses west of Highway 169.
MnDOT officials say the bridge needed to be replaced, as it was built in 1968 and its condition had deteriorated. In addition to the bridge replacement, the project will also extend acceleration lanes onto Highway 169, making it safer for drivers to merge.
According to MnDOT, From 2019 to 2023, the Hwy 169/63rd Avenue interchange area had nine documented same direction side-swipe crashes, the type of collision most likely to be attributed to the short acceleration lanes.
The existing buttonhook-style ramps in that area have short acceleration lanes, making it difficult for drivers to get up to speed before merging onto Hwy 169. The speed differential created a safety issue during off-peak hours and also caused congestion during peak hours for commuters.
This project will extend both northbound and southbound acceleration lanes to provide enough acceleration length for motorists to reach a safe operating speed before merging.
“That’s something we have heard a lot from the public about, the acceleration lanes being a little shorter,” said Ricardo Lopez of MnDOT’s office of communications and public engagement. “In fact, we’ve been doing a corridor study of Highway 169, so that is a lot of the feedback we’ve gotten about some of the interchanges on here. So as MnDOT looks to find ways to improve safety on our roads, this is one way we can do that at this particular intersection.”
MnDOT will extend the acceleration lanes onto Highway 169 from 63rd Avenue, making it easier to merge.
MnDOT also plans to put together improved detour maps in the coming weeks for businesses to distribute.
Lopez says the project will likely be complete by mid-October. People can sign up for email updates on the project website.
Related: Businesses Brace for 63rd Avenue Bridge Construction
