Soon there could be a plan on how to build and fund a project that has been in the works for years.
The 20th Avenue corridor upgrades are going to impact two cities, one county and thousands of North Metro residents.
“The 20th Avenue corridor project is a joint venture between the city of Centerville and the city of Lino Lakes, in conjunction with the county,” said Centerville City Administrator Mark Statz. “From about Birch Street on the south end up past 73rd Street or 21st Avenue depending which side of the road you’re on.”
The growth of Centerville and Lino Lakes is the primary reason why 20th Avenue, aka Anoka County Road 54, will see major upgrades in the next few years.
“We’ve had a lot of development along the corridor,” Statz said. “Obviously Amazon playing into that. There’s a thousand plus homes and a major industrial complex all along this corridor that weren’t there five years ago.”
Increased traffic
The volume of traffic on this thoroughfare has been increasing as population goes up. Centerville, Lino Lakes and the county will continue to solicit public feedback about what the new-look corridor should look like.
They already have a couple of concepts that can serve as guide posts.
“I would call one of them sort of roundabout heavy,” Statz said. “Roundabout intensive. The other one is a more traditional design and fewer roundabouts. Actually a lot of the public input we got was very positive in terms of roundabout acceptance.”
As the vision for 20th Avenue begins to crystalize, finding funding sources will be paramount to getting construction started.
“Part of our journey the next few months is to be able to figure out what funding sources might be available through the state or the federal government,” Statz said. “Then pair that with what we’re going to be able to bring locally and try to find a good timing for that.”
The two cities and the county want the corridor to be business friendly and safe for residents. Some current concerns about 20th Avenue are that travel speeds are too high and that the road is unsafe for pedestrians or bicycles.
