“I have never met a community that is so passionate about a road,” said MnDOT’s Melissa Barnes. The Mayor, Police Chief, City Council members and highway experts were expounding on a problem road that is outdated. “Now is the time,” said Blaine Mayor Tim Sanders. “I’m ready to throw my friends into my car, go to Home Depot and buy shovels and hard hats,” said Blaine Council member Jess Robertson. “That’s where we’re at.” The speakers did not sugar coat things. “It’s embarrassing as a resident and employee of our community to have people come in here and drive down Highway 65,” said Erik Thorvig, Blaine Community Development Director. “Frankly it is embarrassing,” Sanders said. “The condition of trunk Highway 65. The lack of development.” Funding is the key to making Highway 65 thrive. Currently there $25 million in the coffers, but the total tab of the project is $160 million.” “Were again working with our partners seeking grants, federal, state, county, city, everyone all in,” Sanders said. Once the cash is raised the bulldozers and shovels will spring into action and begin this long overdue project. “Next year, 2023, we’ll start to see construction going, at least at 99th Avenue,” Sanders said. Highway 65 is an outdated ribbon of road that is unsafe and often gridlocked. According to MnDOT, 10 of the 30 high priority intersections in the Twin Cities metro are on Highway 65. The accidents and carnage are real. “This corridor has crash problems,” Barnes said. “Sometimes eight times the average that it should.” “I have three drivers,” Robertson said. “Three out of three drivers are not allowed to be on Highway 65. They’re just not. For me it’s not worth the risk.” The sea of brake lights caused by red lights is costly to business and commuters. Delays can be epic. “The power that that road has on our lives is real,” said Blaine Council member Julie Jeppson. “Those of us who live in this city plan our day either around that road or on that road adding time to our morning, adding time to our afternoon and our evening, our kids projects, our kids school day, our kids sporting events.” “We average 10 calls a day in Blaine alone on Highway 65. 10 calls a day… said Blaine Police Chief Brian Podany. “There’s not a lot of humor in it but it’s the adult version of the dog ate my homework. Whenever were late to a meeting. Whenever were late to an engagement. ‘Where were you?’ ‘Highway 65.’ ‘Say no more.’ Everybody in the north metro knows that. It’s ridiculous.” The Highway 65 conundrum has had a direct impact on business growth along the corridor. “They have real clients that want to invest money in our community but they’re scared away because of the uncertainty of Highway 65,” Thorvig said. “We can’t give them a concrete answer.” The grand vision for Highway 65 is raising the road over the intersections and making other fixes, which will improve traffic flow. “Travelling the entire corridor from Ham Lake to Spring Lake Park during the busiest periods can be 40 minutes,” Barnes said. “After these are built 10 minutes.” Since 2015 there have been 297 injury accidents on Highway 65 … and over 1900 that have resulted in damage to vehicles in that span.
BLAINE MAKES BIG PUSH FOR FUNDING FOR HIGHWAY 65 CONSTRUCTION
BLAINE – (Oct. 21, 2022) – In these polarized times we live in, there is one thing we can all agree on – Minnesota State Highway 65 in Anoka County needs upgrades ASAP. Earlier this week, at a jam-packed Blaine City Hall, public officials had a news conference to make their pitch and state their case on why they need funding for Highway 65.
