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This fall, commuters to campus will encounter a different scenario
than ever before. A whole new set of circumstances will impact the
80,000 students, staff, faculty and visitors who come to campus
daily.
PTS staff has been diligently working for months with University,
city, county and state officials to address the two main issues;
campus access and parking shortage on East Bank. A plan was developed
to replace the parking lost to development in the East Gateway District
with lot expansions and new facilities. The number of bike racks
and hoops on campus has been increased. The membership age for the
car-sharing program, Zipcar, was lowered to 18. In addition, PTS
consulted with city officials on ways to alleviate anticipated congestion
through various traffic control methods - signal timing, meter placement,
delivery restrictions on main trunk roads, additional stop signs
and street markings.
But it's truly up to each commuter to make the difference. Already,
a large number of commuters arrive to campus by foot, bike, bus
or carpool. For the safety of all, please remember to slow down,
stay alert and obey all traffic signals or signs. Many more solutions
have been identified and are outlined below.
CAMPUS ACCESS
The closing of the 35W bridge has led to much greater levels of
traffic around and through campus. We expect the congestion to increase
once fall semester commences.
What You Can Do
1. Plan your commute ahead of time, prepare alternate routes and
allow extra travel time.
Although exits to the Minneapolis campus from 35W are open (northbound
at Washington Avenue/3rd Street; southbound at University Avenue/4th
Street), several local streets around the collapse area are closed.
For the latest information on road closures and traffic:
35W Bridge Update! (10/31/07)
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has begun rebuilding
the 35W bridge over the Mississippi River. For the latest information
on the project, visit MnDot
online.
2. Leave your car at home.
- Take the bus or light rail. Purchase
an unlimited ride U-Pass or Metropass for a reduced fee. Beginning
September 1, the monthly price of Metropass decreases from $64
to $45 to make the program more affordable with the goal to increase
the number of faculty and staff signed up to more than 2,000 participants.
Ride light rail to the Metrodome stop and catch a connecting bus
(#16, #50 or #3) to East and West Bank.
- Park and Ride. Park in a remote
lot and ride the bus to campus. The University has partnered
with Metro Transit to convert Lot C66 on Como Avenue to a
Park and Ride beginning Tuesday, September 4. Drivers can
park for free and ride Metro Transit route #3. Westbound service
travels through both East and West Bank campuses. Eastbound
service travels to Como and Raymond where riders can disembark
and walk the few blocks to the St. Paul campus or hop on the
St. Paul Circulator.
Links to additional Park & Rides
Metro
Transit
Minnesota
Valley Transit Authority
Southwest
Metro Transit
Plymouth
Metrolink
Anoka
County Transit Services
Maple
Grove Transit
- Purchase an Occasional Use Contract
beginning October 1 that gives you 22 parking uses throughout
the year at selected facilities. Available to staff and faculty.
- Bike commute. All Metro Transit buses
and light rail have bike racks, so you can bike to a nearby stop
and hop on the bus.
- Walk if you can.
- Form or join a carpool. Lot 94 on
West Bank and Lot 33 on East Bank are carpool only until 9 am,
Monday-Friday for only $2.50. The State Fairground Lot is available
all day to carpools. If you're looking for a carpool companion,
Metro Commuter Services has a list of 13,000 potential carpoolers
and will help find a match. Visit Metro Transit Rideshare online
(www.metrotransit.org)
or call 612-333-3333, option 4.
- Check out NuRide (www.NuRide.com),
a national rideshare database that offers incentives similar
to frequent flyer miles. An employer e-mail address is required.
Users can seek a ridematch for one trip or a regular commute.
- Vanpool. With as few as 5 people you
can sign up for Van-GO!, a program where the Metropolitan Council
subsidizes 55% of the lease cost for qualified vanpools. Check
out either of these two links! (http://www.vpsiinc.com/uofmn/)
or (http://www.metrocouncil.org/planning/transportation/vango/vango.htm)
- Join Zipcar, the on-campus car-sharing
program that gives you wheels when you want them. (www.zipcar.com/umn)
EAST BANK PARKING
This year, parking on East Bank will be limited. The Huron Boulevard
Parking Complex closed in July to make way for the building of the
new stadium and the construction of planned replacement parking
ran into a number of delays.
What You Can Do
1. Leave your car at home.
2. Park in the State Fairground Lot and ride the campus
shuttle to East and West Bank. During the school day, the shuttle
runs every 5 minutes.
3. If you drive to East Bank campus, here are
your parking options:
- East Bank daily rate locations
- Lot 37 - 616 spaces
- Maroon Lot (formerly Hawkeye)- 400 spaces
- Lot 33 - carpool only from 6-9 am. Daily rate parking after
9 am - 240 spaces
- Arrive before 7 am and pay $5.50 at 4th Street Ramp or Oak Street
Ramp
- Park in an hourly facility and pay the ramp rate (max. $12 per
day)
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