Drivers who use Interstate 694 through Shoreview and Arden Hills should be cheering the news that the long-running construction project to add a third lane between Hwy. 10 and Rice Street will be done any day.
But the Minnesota Department of Transportation is not exactly getting a standing ovation.
Several commuters say the extra lanes in each direction stretching about three miles won't go far enough to alleviate bottlenecks that develop during morning and afternoon rush hours, especially on the eastbound side. The freeway is still two lanes from the Hwy. 10 and Snelling Avenue interchanges over to I-35W, and drivers say the third lane should have been extended another 2 miles west.
"I do not think the new three lanes will make a difference," reader Marc wrote in an e-mail. Recently traffic was stopped just after Silver Lake Road, so he got off at Long Lake Road.
"I took back roads the final couple miles. Most days 694 slows down considerable from Snelling to 35W when it is three lanes again. That has nothing to do with the construction and everything to do with the two lanes. Going from three lanes to two for 1.5 miles at most is a recipe for failure."
MnDOT spokesman Kent Barnard said the agency has had plans for six or seven years to complete the segment but had to put them on hold.
"We know that is the last piece," Barnard said. "We will pull them off the shelves when funding becomes available."
With the allotted $35 million, MnDOT did accomplish quite a bit in the north metro the past two years. Besides the additional travel lanes in each direction on I-694, the project added auxiliary lanes at Lexington Avenue and Victoria Street to handle exiting and entering traffic. There also will be a second lane to handle traffic coming off eastbound Hwy. 10 to eastbound I-694 and Lexington Avenue, all of which should help traffic flow, Barnard said.
