Big Day for the West Bank Pt 2: Riverside Reconstruction

This morning, the Council also authorized Public Works staff to request a variance from the Municipal State Aid standards to go down to an 8 foot parking lane on Riverside Avenue. The typical MSA parking lane width is 10 feet. The width we save will be reallocated to bike lanes, sidewalks and boulevards.

The layout approval and the authorization to seek easements (also for wider sidewalks) from nearby property owners were delayed for two weeks in order to give Public Works staff and me a chance to meet with the major institutions along the avenue - Augsburg, Fairview and the U of M - about some concerns that they've communicated very recently. Many of these concerns are things like access during construction, the depth of sidewalks, and other issues not related to the layout, and I want to make clear that we can deal with these concerns later in the process. Some of them are layout related, and I want a chance to make sure that the layout works as well as possible for all users.

This delay also gives my office a chance to work with Public Works staff to ensure that the northwest bound bicycle lane continues all the way to Cedar Avenue.