Highway 47 and Highway 65 Blaine, Columbia Heights, Coon Rapids, Fridley, Hilltop, Minneapolis and Spring Lake Park

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In the Twin Cities north metro area, Hwy 47/University Ave. and Hwy 65/Central Ave. run parallel about one mile apart beginning at the intersection of Central Ave. and University Ave. The two roads continue north through northeast Minneapolis for about 10 miles through Columbia Heights, Fridley, Spring Lake Park, Coon Rapids and Blaine where they both connect with Hwy 10. Both roads share characteristics that vary depending on the section. These characteristics include 30-mph, four-lane, undivided urban-grid city streets with sidewalks and many driveways to highway-speed, four-lane divided major highways carrying 35,000-45,000 vehicles per day. Adjacent land uses vary from dense urban residential to commercial, office, industrial and retail, including the Northtown Mall. Previous studies of these highway corridors, as well as a recent series of fatal crashes, have highlighted safety and operational issues along Hwy 47 and Hwy 65. A January 2019 Road Safety Audit of both corridors identified short-, medium- and long-term measures to improve safety. A key recommendation of the audit calls for the investigation of regional roles and context of both corridors so future improvements can be developed that will be effective and complementary for meeting current and future transportation needs. Also, the city of Minneapolis’ Vision Zero Action Plan identifies segments of Hwy 47/University Ave. and Hwy 65/Central Ave. as “High Injury Streets.”