Put a lid on it, Edina.
That's the message city planners hope comes back from a study on the possibility of roofing over Hwy. 100 at W. 50th Street.
By decking over the busy north-south highway — which handles more than 100,000 vehicles a day — the "Edina Lid" would create about eight acres of developable land that could be used for housing, retail and community space.
In addition, it would act as a massive link bridging the east and west sides of town, a goal that city officials have long pursued.
"It's definitely one of those hyper-ambitious — some might say crazy — ideas," said Bill Neuendorf, Edina's economic development manager. "But it addresses a challenge that's been discussed for years: How do you get across Highway 100?
"With this lid concept, it addresses that goal in a way that really transforms that neighborhood. It takes it to a whole 'nother level."
Neuendorf said planners had tossed around the idea of a highway lid in the past, but always dismissed it as impractical. In recent years, however, highway lid projects have been successfully built in several cities, including San Diego and Dallas. Many Minnesotans are familiar with Leif Erikson Park in Duluth, which was created in a similar fashion atop a tunnel that channels Interstate 35 toward the North Shore of Lake Superior.
"The fact that it has been done elsewhere has bolstered this," Neuendorf said. State and county transportation officials have encouraged the city to explore the idea, he said.
