Reflections on the evolution of Streets.mn since the pandemic by former Co-Chair Glen Johnson
With the Northstar Line now shut down, I reminisce about our short-lived commuter rail, how history is repeating itself with this shut down, and what the future holds for the transit system of the Twin Cities without Northstar.
Elko New Market’s heavy groundwater pumping harms private wells, sparking resident outrage, legal options, and calls for stronger water protections over industrial water use.
An anecdotal account of getting around car-forward infrastructure, without a car. How a Twin Cities-based car share organization can help!
We chat with Scott Dibble and Frank Hornstein about how their friendship and transportation advocacy shaped their legislative careers.
Highway 36 evolved from a 1930s "disjointed mess" into a critical regional "backbone," shaped by reactive suburban growth, jurisdictional friction, and incremental infrastructure compromises.
Paris prioritizes speed and equity with aerial transit, while quiet, walkable, salt-free streets prove that livable, people-centered urban design boosts both value and joy.
A personal and historical biography of Highway 3 in Northfield, exploring how a familiar road became a boundary shaping a community
NYC congestion pricing slashes pollution, but Dallas transit faces tax-cap tension. Meanwhile, city-builder games reveal our car-centric design, and housing needs a massive workforce mobilization.
In the 1960s, St. Paul’s West Side Flats were razed for highway and industrial development: displacing families, shuttering businesses, and leaving lasting social, economic and cultural scars.
Why I uprooted my life in Denver to settle in Minneapolis.
A quiet culvert along Highway 14 reveals how Minnesota engineers retrofitted a major reconstruction project to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.
Thieves are stealing more than wire from Twin Cities streetlights: They’re stealing our safety, our choices, and our ability to live car-free.
Join us on Dec. 26 for one last ride on the Northstar train service!
Snow season is one of the biggest challenges for Minnesota’s transportation system. Let’s chat with the folks who make sure the snow gets cleared! Links Attributions Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Pu…
A pair of transit geeks ride the new Metro B Line end-to-end to see whether all its promised upgrades—from bus lanes to off-board payment—actually deliver the faster trip Metro Transit advertised.
A chance sighting of a rugged German RV in Frogtown opens into a globe-spanning tale of travel, grit, hospitality, and two adventurers chasing wonder.
Profiling two auntie-advocates whose community-rooted biking leadership in Duluth and Minneapolis strengthens active transportation networks, challenges inequity, and expands mobility access across Minnesota.
The river-adjacent portion of Minneapolis's North Loop neighborhood largely corresponds to the Warehouse Historic District.
Limitless Cycling provides adaptive cycles and trackchairs to those in the St Croix Valley and East Metro to ensure everyone can get outside!
UMN researchers tested recycled-plastic pipes under a Minnesota highway — finding they held up like new plastic while cutting costs and environmental impact.
Conversation with Cortni Desir highlights Connecticut’s push for better, people-focused transit, exploring statewide priorities, community needs, and the evolving role of public transportation.
The December 6 quarterly service change brings significant developments--new E Line BRT, new cross-suburban routes and the start of Northstar commuter rail replacement.
At a November 13 forum, community and water-policy experts raised sharp concern over Minnesota’s hyper-scale data-center boom—spotlighting massive water-use risks, weak reviews and minimal public voice.
In these inflationary times, which Minneapolis grocery stores offer good value for some basic kitchen staples?
Author note: Since writing this article, Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent on Portland Avenue in South Minneapolis. I walked through the temporarily pedestrianized block to pay my respects. I saw hundreds of people there who traverse…
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Memories from Beginning to End I first heard about Northstar in the mid-2000s, probably around the same time our region was opening its first light rail line. In my teenage years I excitedly followed the project updates as stations were…
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Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a version published Dec. 30, 2025, by the Center for Transportation Studies . Every drop of groundwater matters, especially when the water is shared by thousands of private well owners and draw…
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I am a self-proclaimed and longtime scavenger when it comes to mobility. Hailing from a New Jersey, car-forward suburb, then adapting to a small college campus with no reason to escape a one-mile, walkable radius, I have been navigating…
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Scott Dibble and Frank Hornstein have been friends and transportation advocates since before they were elected to the state legislature, so we sat down with them to find out how that has shaped their careers. Attributions Our theme song…
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Trunk Highway 36 is today known as the primary high-speed artery connecting the Twin Cities to the town of Stillwater . Its history shows how Highway 36 took shape incrementally , shaped by decisions that were often reactive. The 1933 “D…
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Every day, The Overhead Wire collects national and international news about cities and sends the links to their email list. At the end of the week they post some of the most popular stories to Greater Greater Washington , a group blog si…
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I believe everything has a history worth sharing—especially the roads we think we already know. I grew up about half an hour from Northfield, close enough that Highway 3 felt less like a destination and more like a given—the road you too…
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Every day, The Overhead Wire collects national and international news about cities and sends the links to their email list. At the end of the week they post some of the most popular stories to Greater Greater Washington , a group blog si…
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When I first stood on the shoulder of Robert Street and looked across the slabs of limestone and corrugated metal that now face the Mississippi, I felt disoriented. Where a row of porches, stoops and corner stores once lived, there is no…
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As a recent transplant, I was anxious to begin establishing a life in Minneapolis. Prior to my move, I lived in the Highland neighborhood in Denver. Although the neighborhood was somewhat walkable and bikeable, motordom reigned supreme.…
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On an unassuming highway in southern Minnesota just outside of Claremont, a road underpass lies quietly in the December snow. The underpass was installed as part of the U.S. Highway 14 expansion project completed in 2021. In this project…
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Every evening when I pedal home from work, I enter a tunnel of shadow. The Midtown Greenway — Minneapolis’s crown jewel of bike infrastructure, a 5.5-mile stretch of paved path that thousands of us rely on to get across the city — spends…
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Metro Transit is discontinuing the Northstar train service on January 5, no thanks to a useful proposal we’ve published to save it, and we at Streets.mn want to take a final ride. You’re invited to join us as we experience Minnesota’s on…
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Snow season is one of the biggest challenges for Minnesota’s transportation system. Let’s chat with the folks who make sure the snow gets cleared! Links Saint Paul Snow Emergency page Minneapolis snow season page Duluth Snow Emergency pa…
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The Metro B Line came with many improvements along the old route 21. Lake, Lagoon, and Marshall all have bus lanes, there’s off-board fare payment, stop consolidation, a brand new fleet of 60 ft buses and frequency increases on most of t…
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October 6, 2024 8 Miles Highland Park, Macalester-Groveland, Frogtown Shadows played over the unique Mercedes RV the first time I spotted it parked on Thomas Avenue. " data-image-caption=" Shadows played over the unique Mercedes RV the f…
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Editor’s note: This is part four of an ongoing series about femme/trans/women (FTW) who are leaders — either quietly or overtly — in transportation issues and advocacy throughout Minnesota. I’ve got two more aunties to introduce you to i…
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Editor’s Note: Max Hailperin is walking each of Minneapolis’ 87 neighborhoods, in alphabetical order. He chronicles his adventures at allofminneapolis.com , where the original version of this article was published November 8, 2025. The r…
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When his mother suffered a stroke in 2018, Matthew Stepaniak wanted to find a way to keep her active both physically and mentally. As an avid cyclist himself, Matthew had the idea to bring cycling to those who couldn’t otherwise enjoy it…
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Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a version published Nov. 11, 2025, by the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota. The United States processes a staggering 14.5 million tons of plastic packaging and c…
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Every day, The Overhead Wire collects national and international news about cities and sends the links to their email list. At the end of the week they post some of the most popular stories to Greater Greater Washington , a group blog si…
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Metro Transit makes route and schedule changes four times each year. Each quarter, retired transit planner Aaron Isaacs explains them and gives an insider’s perspective on what’s happening. E Line BRT replaces most of Route 6 December 6…
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Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a version published Nov. 14, 2025 by the Minnesota Women’s Press At a November 13 forum hosted by Minnesota Women’s Press, five experts shared their unique experiences involving Minnesota’s wat…
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The topic of grocery affordability is not new to these pages. I have written about it before in 2019 , 2020 , 2021 , and 2023 . And in 2025, households are more concerned than they’ve been in the last decade about rising prices and ways…
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