Highway 252/I-94 Environmental Review

Design options

We need your feedback on Hwy 252/I-94 design options. Learn about the options below and visit the meetings webpage to learn how to get involved.

From 2020-2023, we worked closely with the public and federal/local partners to narrow down Hwy 252/I-94 design options to further study in the draft environmental impact statement phase. Using technical analysis and feedback from project stakeholders and other government agencies, we evaluated numerous designs options using evaluation criteria that measure how well a design will meet the project’s needs. This process has narrowed the selection of recommended design options down but more work is needed to ultimately select a preferred alternative.

The evaluation criteria included:

• Safety and mobility for people driving
• Safety and mobility for walking, biking, and rolling
• Transit considerations and improvements
• Social, economic, and environmental considerations  

View the Evaluation Criteria document for more information on how options were analyzed. 

Road design options

The following Hwy 252/I-94 road designs were selected for further evaluation from 2024-2025.

Keep the road as it is today

• Expressway (road with ground-level traffic signals)
• Six lanes for vehicle traffic (3 lanes in each direction)
• Right shoulders used by buses
• No Improvements to I-94

Four-lane freeway with bus shoulders

• Freeway (road with overpasses/underpasses and interchanges with on/off ramps)
• Four lanes for vehicle traffic (2 lanes in each direction)
• Right shoulders used by buses
• Consider a managed lane on northbound and SB I-94

Six-lane freeway with bus shoulders

• Freeway (road with overpasses/underpasses and interchanges with on/off ramps)
• Six lanes for vehicle traffic (3 lanes in each direction)
• Right shoulders used by buses
• Consider a managed lane on northbound and SB I-94

Six-lane freeway with managed lanes

• Freeway (road with overpasses/underpasses and interchanges with on/off ramps)
• Four lanes for vehicle traffic (two lanes in each direction)
• Two E-ZPass or carpool lanes for vehicles and buses
• Add a managed lane on SB I-94 and consider managed lane on NB I-94

Freeway consideration

All options besides “keeping the road as it is today” include changing the roadway from an expressway (road with ground-level traffic signals) to a freeway (road with overpasses/ underpasses and interchanges with on/off ramps).

Freeways:

• Eliminate the forced stop and go traffic by removing signals
• Increase comfort and safety for people walking, biking, and rolling on local roads by providing more separation from high-speed traffic
• By design, reduces the number of conflict points, which will increase safety for people driving
• Reduce conflict points with other vehicles, thereby reducing the number of crashes
• Offer a better transit experience with managed lanes and bus only shoulders
• Decrease the amount of time spent in traffic on local streets and Hwy 252 and I-94

Dismissed expressway design options

Several expressway concepts (road with ground-level traffic signals) were considered during the scoping phase of the study from 2020-2023. These options were dismissed for further consideration.

Expressways:

• Provide minor improvements in safety and mobility compared to the existing road today
• Do not address existing intersection safety issues on Hwy 252
• Do not reduce ground-level, high-speed traffic on Hwy 252, which conflicts with safety and mobility for people walking, biking, and rolling
• Lead to more traffic diversion to local streets
• Do not provide improvements for people suing transit on Hwy 252

Please refer to Chapter 8 Alternatives Not to be Studied in the EIS in the Final Scoping Decision Document for more information.

Managed lanes (E-ZPass or carpool lanes)

We are considering managed lane design elements on Hwy 252 and on I-94.

Having a managed lane (E-ZPass) provides:

• Improved transit experience in the corridor over the existing condition
• Advantages for car poolers and motorcyclists
• Travel time reliability on Hwy 252 and I-94
• A direct connection to downtown Minneapolis

Hwy 252 intersection access options

We need your feedback on intersection access options. Visit the meetings webpage to see how to get involved.

From 2024 to 2025, we will evaluate intersection access combinations for Hwy 252. We are evaluating five specific combinations.

Each combination includes three types of intersection designs:

• Access closed: No access to/from Hwy 252 and intersecting local street. Could include highway overpass or underpass bridges for local connectivity across Hwy 252 or dedicated multi-use trail crossings for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Partial-access interchange: Access open coming from certain directions (north or south)
• Full-access interchange: Access Hwy 252 from any direction

(A) Includes access between Hwy 252 and Brookdale Dr. to/from the north. Connects to 73rd Ave. with north and south frontage roads parallel to Hwy 252.

(B) Includes access between Hwy 252 and 73rd Ave. to/from the south. Connects to Brookdale Dr. with north and south frontage roads parallel to Hwy 252.