You Asked, MnDOT Answers On Hudson/Century Intersection Roadwork

When Patch posted a poll last week about a , readers asked why the Minnesota Department of Transportation isn't installing signal lights and instead requiring some drivers to make a U-turn to get to their destination.

We called one of the MnDOT officials working on the project to get the answer.

A (Highway 120) intersection that will require drivers who want to cross or turn left onto Century Avenue to make a U-turn at Innovation Road has drivers and businesses questioning its logic and safety.

But the traffic patterns in that area, including a high volume of vehicles coming into 3M in the morning and leaving the campus in the evening, eliminate some options for the intersection, said Wayne Norris, MnDOT north area manager for the metro district. 

A traffic signal at the intersection would cause back-ups onto Interstate 94 during the morning rush hour, Norris said.

“Traffic will then be essentially sitting on the shoulder of 94,” he said. “Therefore, you create a situation that has high speed traffic alongside of essentially stopped or slow-moving traffic and creates a safety hazard.”

Another possible option at that intersection would be a roundabout, Norris said. But again, the high volume of traffic going into and out of 3M during rush hour would overwhelm the roundabout, making it difficult to get into the intersection from Hudson Road, he said.

Norris said he understands complaints that forcing drivers to make a U-turn to get to certain businesses in the area could be cumbersome.

“I will say it creates a longer route for individuals in that area,” he said, “but we definitely do need to address one of our highest right-angle crash rates in the state.”

MnDOT plans to select a contractor for the project in April, and then do construction over the summer, Norris said.

The contractor will maintain access to all the businesses in the area during construction, he said.

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