Star Tribune
Group pushes replacing I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul with a thoroughfare
As state transportation planners mull the future of Interstate Highway 94 in the Twin Cities, a group that champions transportation not centered on cars wants to convert a 7.5 mile stretch of the freeway between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul with a street level thoroughfare.
A recent report by Our Streets Minneapolis said replacing the freeway won’t have a negative effect on traffic — as motorists find other routes for what are mostly short trips. But a thoroughfare will be better economically, environmentally and socially for neighborhoods long scarred by the freeway, the report’s authors say.
“I think that as we bring more information to the table about the economic benefits of this, and the environmental benefits and just the quality of life and sense of place benefits, more and more people are getting excited,” said Alex Burns of Our Streets. “And they are seeing this as an idea that should be legitimately considered.”
Our Streets officials hope their report, “Reimagining I-94,” will sway planners with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) who are in the midst of their own “Rethinking I-94” project. The state project is evaluating 10 ways of moving forward with an aging and deteriorating stretch of freeway that was built 50-60 years ago and is widely regarded as hurting the inner-city neighborhoods split by the freeway’s miles long trench.
Two of the 10 MnDOT alternatives would replace the freeway with a ground level boulevard that includes dedicated bus lanes and bike lanes. Other options being considered range from maintaining the existing stretch of freeway, a combination of a local access roadway with a narrower freeway for motorists passing through and expanding the freeway with additional traffic lanes and lanes for bus rapid transit and carpool lanes.
The Our Streets report, which lists the Toole Design Group, Visible City and Smart Mobility as contributors, comes down clearly on the replace side. Officials said they used MNDOT traffic, speed and congestion data.
The report concluded that highway removal has been a positive step in several other cities, including Rochester, New York; Milwaukee, and Oakland, Calif. Other key findings in the report include:
- Traffic would not be dramatically affected. Most trips on I-94 are short and local, using the freeway only for short distances. The most common average trip duration along this stretch of I-94 is 5 minutes, compared to 15 minutes and 20 minutes for I-494 and I-694 respectively. Most motorists would find other routes through neighborhoods.
- The models the state is using to study alternatives were developed 40 years ago and are not reliable and should not be used to predict congestion and travel times. The Reimaging authors say the state methodology is skewed toward freeways and does not look at the environmental and development benefits of removing the highway.
- Converting to a thoroughfare has enormous potential for transforming hundreds of acres of right-of-way into new space for housing, businesses and parks.
- Less traffic, noise and air pollution will improve the health and well-being of corridor residents.
- Rethinking I-94 is a political decision, not an engineering one. The freeway is not necessary for the Twin Cities to thrive, and if it is rebuilt or expanded, the harms it created will continue.
State and city officials, so far, appear non-committal.
“We appreciate the deep community interest and involvement as we work to plan the future of this vital corridor,” department spokeswoman Anne Meyer said in a statement. “MnDOT is considering a wide range of alternatives for the future of this corridor. The alternatives were developed in partnership with federal, state and local governments, as well as countless technical experts and feedback from the community.”
Unlike the original creation of I-94 during the 1950s and ’60s, she said, officials are “committed to continuing with our community-based approach focused on reconnecting neighborhoods and ensuring community members have a meaningful voice in transportation decisions that affect their lives.”
St. Paul City Councilmember Anika Bowie, who represents the old Rondo neighborhood where more than 1,000 homes were removed for I-94 construction, said she agrees with Our Streets about the freeway’s negative impact. She also supports ReConnect Rondo, a plan to install a 21-acre cap over several blocks of the freeway for housing and commercial development.
“I want to ensure we are going in a positive direction,” Bowie said. “I think Our Streets has brought a valuable perspective. Maybe there can be some type of merger of plans. The goal should be to reconnect, rebuild and repair.”
Celeste Robinson, a policy aide for Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley said in an email: “CM Wonsley is still reviewing the report. She is strongly supportive of the boulevard conversion generally but cannot offer comment on the report as of yet.”
Brette Hjelle, the interim director of Minneapolis Public Works, said in a statement that public works staff are aware of the Our Streets report and, “We look forward to reviewing and better understanding the contents of that report and the continued dialogue on this important project.”
State Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura, DFL-Minneapolis, said she learned about the idea of converting this section of freeway into a boulevard while campaigning. A member of the House Transportation Committee, she said the the idea is worth considering. “I am generally excited about an at-grade option,” she said, adding that a thoroughfare’s benefits to air quality and neighborhood livability make it a real alternative. “I’m excited by the possibilities.”
DULUTH – In the late 1960s, James Ulland was a commercial tree farmer with 660 acres of tax-forfeited land he had acquired between French River and Alborn, in northern Minnesota. He had started with 10,000 trees and quickly expanded to 140,000 — with plans to add 60,000 red pine and white spruce seedlings in the spring.
This rated as a superlative: In the previous two years, Ulland had planted more trees in St. Louis County than any other private individual. He told a reporter from the Duluth News Tribune at the time that the red pines wouldn’t hit maturity until he was 109 years old.
In 1968, Ulland’s occupation was listed as economist/tree farmer when was elected to the Minnesota House and later to the Minnesota Senate from traditionally Democratic-leaning Duluth. He spent 15 years in state politics and was later appointed by Gov. Arne Carlson to be the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce. In 1997, he founded Ulland Investment Advisors, a boutique Minneapolis firm where he spent the rest of his career.
“It didn’t matter whether it was politics or business or family and friends — he was very funny, very smart with a quick wit, and very active,” said Ann Glumac, who is married to Ulland’s brother Bill Ulland.
Former Gov. Arne Carlson remembered Ulland as bright with a good sense of humor and a delight to work alongside. He is remembered as a strong environmentalist with a message about the hole in the ozone layer and its impact on mankind, Carlson said.
“He was the first [layperson] to grasp the early stages of what we now call climate change,” Carlson said. “He began to realize over time that we had to develop policies that had a long-term impact and to recognize that the earth’s climate was changing and it was harmful to man’s ability to survive.”
Mike Jaros, who served in the Minnesota House about the same time as Ulland and represented neighboring areas, said he always admired Ulland. They came from different parties, but DFLer Jaros said he enjoyed working with Ulland.
The first major snowstorm of the season was marching across central and southern Minnesota Thursday morning, creating difficult travel conditions, delaying or closing some schools and turning the brown landscape into a winter wonderland.
A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect from the Red River Valley in northwestern Minnesota east to Duluth and south through the Twin Cities into western Wisconsin. Between 4 and 7 inches could fall along and north of I-94 while 3 to 6 inches could pile up in southern and southwestern Minnesota, where a Winter Weather Advisory is in place, the National Weather Service said.
“Plan for a slick and hazardous Thursday morning commute,” the National Weather Service said. “Allow extra time to get to your destination and remember, take it slow.”
Metro area roads were snow-covered at 6 a.m. even as a full complement of Minnesota Department of Transportation plows were out attempting to clear them off. Snow was falling at about a half inch to an inch an hour, making the job tough.
Metro Transit buses, light-rail trains and the Northstar Commuter lines were running with “minimal delays” at 5:30 a.m., the agency said.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported eight delayed flights, four outbound and four inbound, as of 6 a.m., but no cancellations, according to the flight tracking website Flightaware.com.
Brainerd, Fergus Falls, Little Falls and Royalton in outstate Minnesota, and Stillwater in the metro area were among districts calling off classes Thursday while others will start classes a couple hours late.
Snow is expected to wind down by late afternoon in most places, but gusty winds will blow around anything that falls impacting travel late into the night, the Weather Service said.
Star Tribune
Investigators searching for additional victims as Hastings man faces child porn charges
A 27-year-old Hastings man has been accused in federal court of producing child pornography over a roughly two-year span, and investigators are trying to identify additional potential victims.
Hunter James Geidlwas charged with four counts of either production or possession of child pornography in federal court Dec. 10. He has pleaded not guilty.
According to the charges, Geidl employed and used minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for producing explicit videos from July 2022 to March 2024. He is also accused of possessing a video file of pornographic material involving a minor in 2022.
Geidl made his initial appearance in court Friday and remains in custody, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger.
Investigators believe other minors may have been victimized and ask that if anyone believes their child has been in contact with Geidl to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.
