Hwy 7 study — Hopkins to St. Bonifacius

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About this study

We Highway 7 between Hopkins Crossroad and the Western Hennepin County line in St. Bonifacius study location mapView full-size mapare studying Hwy 7 from Hopkins Crossroad in Hopkins to the western Hennepin County line in St. Bonifacius.

This study will seek to understand the transportation needs of all users, identify opportunities for future improvements, establish a shared vision for improvement concepts among study partners, and develop and evaluate these concepts to inform the design of facilities that will be upgraded as part of a pavement resurfacing project planned for 2029 from Christmas Lake Rd. in Shorewood to 1 mile east of Mills St. in the City of St. Bonifacius.

From November 2021 through June 2022, a road safety audit was conducted on Hwy 7 from Hwy 100 in St. Louis Park to Carver Co. Rd. 33 in Hollywood Township. This audit recommended that a full planning study be completed to develop a plan for future improvements that includes access management, pedestrian and bicycle crossings, accessibility, highway signs, roadway signals, and lighting. This planning study will be informed in part by the road safety audit completed on this road.

Summary of work

  • Assess and document existing conditions
  • Ask people to share their transportation experiences and needs
  • Produce a document that identifies transportation needs and opportunities in the study area
  • Develop and evaluate recommended ideas for improvements, and get public input
  • Develop next steps for advancing the recommended improvements

Get involved

As a part of this planning study, we will be gathering input from community through public meetings, events and surveys.

About this study

We Highway 7 between Hopkins Crossroad and the Western Hennepin County line in St. Bonifacius study location mapView full-size mapare studying Hwy 7 from Hopkins Crossroad in Hopkins to the western Hennepin County line in St. Bonifacius.

This study will seek to understand the transportation needs of all users, identify opportunities for future improvements, establish a shared vision for improvement concepts among study partners, and develop and evaluate these concepts to inform the design of facilities that will be upgraded as part of a pavement resurfacing project planned for 2029 from Christmas Lake Rd. in Shorewood to 1 mile east of Mills St. in the City of St. Bonifacius.

From November 2021 through June 2022, a road safety audit was conducted on Hwy 7 from Hwy 100 in St. Louis Park to Carver Co. Rd. 33 in Hollywood Township. This audit recommended that a full planning study be completed to develop a plan for future improvements that includes access management, pedestrian and bicycle crossings, accessibility, highway signs, roadway signals, and lighting. This planning study will be informed in part by the road safety audit completed on this road.

Summary of work

  • Assess and document existing conditions
  • Ask people to share their transportation experiences and needs
  • Produce a document that identifies transportation needs and opportunities in the study area
  • Develop and evaluate recommended ideas for improvements, and get public input
  • Develop next steps for advancing the recommended improvements

Get involved

As a part of this planning study, we will be gathering input from community through public meetings, events and surveys.

  • Engagement summary and study area needs

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    We gathered feedback from the public on the current conditions along and across Hwy 7, including safety and mobility concerns with an online survey and comment map in June and July of 2024. Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey and comment map. Your feedback helped us understand your experiences of Hwy 7 and ideas for improvement. The survey and comment map closed on Sun, July 7, 2024. If you missed the deadline and would still like to submit your feedback, you can leave a comment or question or reach out to the Hwy 7 study team at hwy.7.study.info@state.mn.us or 651-234-7505.


    What people said

    According to the survey results, 60% of survey respondents use Hwy 7 daily, while 30% of respondents use Hwy 7 multiple times per week. Ninety (90) percent of all survey respondents are frequent users of Hwy 7.


    A graphic displaying survey results of how often survey respondents use Highway 7. 60 percent us Highway 7 daily, 30 percent several times a week, 6 percent once a week, 4 percent one to two times a month and 1 percent rarely. View full-size image


    According to the survey results, 52% of respondents reported that driving conditions do not feel safe or comfortable on the road, 75% of respondents said that walking conditions are not safe or comfortable and 71% of respondents said that biking conditions are not safe or comfortable along Hwy 7.

    A graphic displaying the full survey results of how comfortable people feel driving, walking and biking along or across Highway 7. View full-size image


    Looking to the future of Hwy 7, we asked participants to rate the importance of several elements. The results for those who marked these elements as “Important” and “Very important” are as follows:

    • Safer intersections: 93%
    • Reduced congestion: 87%
    • Fewer driveway conflicts: 68%
    • Better pedestrian facilities: 66%
    • More environmentally friendly roadway: 57%
    • Better access to businesses: 56%
    • Better bike facilities: 48%

    The top 10 themes mentioned in the survey were:

    • Traffic
    • Congestion
    • Speed and traffic violations
    • Infrastructure improvements
    • Public transit
    • Environmental preservation
    • Community connectivity
    • Safety
    • Pedestrian and bicyclist safety
    • Noise

    Read the full engagement summary.


    Study area needs

    As a part of the Hwy 7 study, we also gathered and analyzed information about the study area. This included existing community plans, traffic counts, crash history, and road operations. Based on this analysis, we identified the following needs for the study area:

    • Vehicle safety: Vehicle safety is an identified need along Hwy 7. This is documented in the history of fatal and severe injury crashes that have occurred. Multiple intersections exceed statewide averages for crashes and severity. The most severe crash types are lane departure crashes and angle crashes at intersections.
    • Vehicle mobility: Vehicle mobility is an identified need along Hwy 7. There is a high level of side street delay at both signalized and unsignalized intersections. Mainline delay exists at multiple intersections along the road and is anticipated to increase in the future.
    • Walkability / bikeabilty: Walkability and bikeability is a need along Hwy 7 due to the poor safety performance including fatalities as well as the difficulty crossing and traveling along the highway. Hwy 7 is also identified in several local and regional plans to improve mobility for multiple modes of transportation along the road.


    Next steps

    Based on the current conditions of the roadway, study area needs and the public feedback we received, we will develop ideas for improvements and get feedback from the public later in the study through public meetings, events and surveys.

    Sign up for email updates to receive information on how you can share your input and stay up to date on this study.

  • Meetings

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    Public meetings and events

    Upcoming

    Information on upcoming meetings will be posted as details become available. Sign up for email updates to receive information on upcoming meetings and opportunities to provide feedback on this study.

    Public meeting accommodations

    MnDOT invites and encourages participation by all people in their programs, services and activities. If you need an ASL, a foreign language interpreter, or documents in an alternative format (such as braille, large print or in a different language) at no cost, please email your request to Janet Miller at ADArequest.dot@state.mn.us or call 651-366-4720. Relay service: 711.

    If you need any other reasonable accommodation to participate (such as seating modification or auxiliary aids), please email your request to Accessibility.DOT@state.mn.us or call 1-833-400-8432. Relay service: 711.

  • Accessibility

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    Americans with Disabilities ActSpeakers and raised arrows on APS signals provide information about the intersection to pedestrians with hearing and visual impairment.
    Speakers and raised arrows on APS signals provide information about the intersection to pedestrians with hearing and visual impairment.

    All MnDOT projects - both new construction and rehabilitation projects - must include evaluation to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Components can include, but are not limited to adding curb cuts, truncated domes and accessible pedestrian signals. Read about MnDOT's transition plan to comply with the ADA.

    Specifics for this study


    • Determine what accessibility improvements are needed for a 2029 resurfacing project
Page last updated: 23 Oct 2024, 06:34 AM