Oak Park Heights miffed over decision to remove Hwy. 36 slip lane

Construction on the new Manning Avenue interchange at Hwy. 36 has reached the halfway point. A few ramps recently opened, and if December delivers favorable weather, bridge beams could be set before the end of the year.

But there is a snag.

Washington County, which is building the interchange, and Oak Park Heights are at odds about a proposed frontage road associated with the bridge project.

The county put in what's sometimes called a "slip lane" on westbound Hwy. 36, allowing for a seamless connection between Stillwater Boulevard and Manning, a half-mile trip Oak Park Heights City Administrator Eric Johnson said can be made in 52 seconds and does not force drivers to merge into Hwy. 36 traffic. The city wants the same type of connection for eastbound drivers.

The county's original plans called for an eastbound slip lane, but last year it was removed and replaced with a frontage road that would take drivers through a commercial district and a handful of intersections before connecting with 58th Street and ultimately Stillwater Boulevard.

"No thank you," said Johnson. "There is no benefit to the city. It [the slip lane] works for westbound, why not eastbound?"

Besides creating a route that is inefficient for drivers, Johnson said his city might have to pony up $1.2 million of the projected $18 million cost. For those reasons, the Oak Park Heights City Council has not given consent for the frontage road, and Johnson said the council isn't likely to change its mind.

Currently southbound Manning — also known as County 15 — ends at Hwy. 36. To continue south, drivers must get on Hwy. 36 and go east to Stillwater Boulevard where County Road 15 resumes and takes drivers into Lake Elmo.

The frontage road would complete the missing link in the county road system and reduce the number of vehicles using Hwy. 36, one of the County's goals since highway traffic has increased exponentially after the Stillwater Crossing over the St. Croix River opened, said the county's Public Works Deputy Director Wayne Sandberg.

"Local traffic should not be on 36 using a major highway as a connection route," he said.

MnDOT determined the westbound slip lane was necessary because of the short distance between Stillwater Boulevard and Manning. There is ample distance between the ramps on the eastbound side, making a slip lane unnecessary, said MnDOT engineer Adam Josephson.

Johnson said eastbound drivers won't use the frontage road, and a slip lane is safe and cost-effective. He said the lane could be put in over the summer as the county completes the Manning interchange while MnDOT resurfaces Hwy. 36 from Maplewood to Stillwater.

Without consent from Oak Park Heights, the frontage road's fate is unclear. Sandberg said the county recognizes the city's concerns, and hopes to find common ground.

"Our goal is to sit down and talk to them," Sandberg said.