Sunday, Mar 14
Traffic alert: major changes around U stadium site, starting July 2
More changes are in store on traffic and pedestrian routes and parking near the stadium construction site.
Street traffic, parking and pedestrian routes changing with beginning of major construction
Huron Boulevard between University Avenue and Southeast Fourth Street will be no more, starting July 2, when that former stretch of road becomes part of the Gophers’ TCF Stadium site. Major construction of the stadium begins in July.
Some parking lots in the Huron Avenue Complex, sidewalks and crosswalks will also close permanently, and trees and plantings along Huron Boulevard will be removed and replaced by new plantings in 2009.
Traffic will shift to the new Oak Street alignment, north of University Avenue, according to an update from the U of M.
Three parking lots will close in the area, while lots 33 and 37 will open northwest of the intersection of Southeast Oak and Fifth Streets. The “Hawkeye” is set to open on Aug. 1.
Pedestrians will also be affected. Sidewalks on both sides of Huron will close permanently; the university update recommends that pedestrians traveling between the “new” Southeast Oak Street and 23rd Avenue Southeast use sidewalks along University Avenue. Likewise, pedestrians should cross University Avenue in the crosswalks at the “new” Southeast Oak Street and 23rd Avenue Southeast.
Work will also begin soon on the cleanup of contaminated soil at the stadium site. Security fencing will be placed around the affected area.
The update also gives a look further ahead at coming construction and the eventual completion of the street grid around the stadium. Portions of Oak Street, Huron Boulevard and University and Washington avenues will be expanded “to handle increased traffic from the Stadium and other developments in the East Gateway area,” states the update. That expansion will include new utilities.
All the construction work in the area will take place “under traffic,” meaning there will be temporary lane closures and shifts, but no roads will be closed (aside form the permanently replaced stretches noted above). While traffic will continue to flow, the update acknowledges the congestion that area drivers are already aware of.
For more information about the ongoing construction and related traffic changes, visit the U of M’s stadium update website.
last revised: June 29, 2007