“It’s what we call a half-access interchange,” explained Anoka County Engineer Joe McPherson.
Traffic on northbound 35-E has an off-ramp onto County Road J, while southbound traffic can merge onto the freeway. But there is no access for northbound drivers onto 35-E or from southbound 35-E to County J.
Now, Ramsey County is moving ahead with plans to eventually upgrade the interchange–possibly to a full-access interchange–and Anoka County will help with the early design process. The county board approved McPherson to enter into a joint powers agreement with Ramsey County.
“That’s part of the process-determining how much we’re going to pay, how much Ramsey County is going to pay,” he said. “There may also be some agreements with the cities involved as well.”
McPherson said recent development around the area in the form of single-family housing and commercial properties just to the south of the interchange are fueling the demand for improvements.
“The pressures as this interchange continue to mount,” he said.
He also pointed out that business owners in the small shopping center near the intersection, including a movie theater and two restaurants, have been helpful.
“They were instrumental,” McPherson said. “They were really at the forefront of helping us paint the picture for our legislators, show the state how important this area is, and they really helped explain how bad (the traffic) is.”
Ramsey County officials told North Metro TV News that preliminary designs are due in by May 20.
