City Council Meeting Date: February 10, 2026
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: David E. Bennett, PE - Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
Consider Resolution requesting MnDOT provide safety solutions for Walking and Biking at grade and below the upcoming 2032 Trunk Highway TH-3 Bridge Replacement over the Cannon River and 2033 TH-3 Bridge Replacement over the Railroad.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council approves Resolution requesting MnDOT provide safety solutions for Walking and Biking at grade and below the upcoming 2032 TH-3 Bridge Replacement over the Cannon River and 2033 TH-3 Bridge Replacement over the Railroad.
Summary Report:
At the July 2025 Northfield Transportation Advisory Committee (NTAC) meeting, MnDOT presented two upcoming bridge replacement projects in Northfield. In 2032 the TH-3 Bridge Replacement over the Cannon River and 2033 the TH-3 Bridge Replacement over the Railroad. MnDOT is currently in the preliminary design/project scoping layout phase. These two bridges are critical infrastructure that service Northfield and our regional transportation.
It is critical that these bridge replacement projects meet our local and regional transportation needs. Bridges only get replaced 50-75 years, so it is important that these replacements not only address motor vehicles, but other transportation choices. These bridge replacement projects cannot be done in a vacuum, they need to look holistically along the corridor and the land-use context and how it connects, and what the future corridor could look like.
TH-3 is a significant barrier in our community for people to cross to access the east and west sides of our community. It is imperative that we collaborate with MnDOT to ensure well-functioning bridges are built that address walking/biking at grade level and below grade for the east/west community connectivity.
The attached Resolution requests the City Council to pass a resolution advocating for MnDOT to focus not only on Bridge Replacements but address more mobility options, walking and biking at the surface and under the bridges. In addition to the bridge replacement, TH-3 is our highest crash/safety issue corridor, and adjacent roadway intersections near the bridges should be reviewed and tied to a future vision of the corridor.
The City and MnDOT has collaborated previously on a pedestrian/bike trail under the Th-3 Bridge at the railroad, started around 2010 that includes construction plans and documents but ultimately did not move forward in 2013. Since that time, the community has continued to express frustration with the lack of improved safe east-west crossings on Th-3. This planned underpass is an identified grade separated crossing location within city plans. This is an opportunity to collaborate and implement a needed improvement with MnDOT projects.
City Plans & Policies Relevance:
This work is supported by the City’s 2045 Comprehensive Plan, Transportation Plan, and Strategic Plan.
In the 2045 Comprehensive Plan:
• Highway 3 is good for driving through Northfield quickly or driving from downtown to Target, but reaching a store, school or office requires getting off the highway. It is unpleasant to walk along and unsafe to cross on foot and unhealthy to live next to.
• Completing a safe, connected system for biking, walking and rolling.
• Northfield fosters human connections in our increasingly diverse community through well-designed neighborhoods, gathering places, and business districts that are inclusive for all, independent of age, economic status, mobility, gender, or racial and ethnic background.
• Northfield works to provide a full complement of mobility options so all Northfield residents and visitors can get where and how they want.
• Northfield emphasizes equity to address disparities and to ensure equitable access to jobs, housing, education, essential services, retail, mobility options, and open space for all.
• Advocate with MnDOT to redesign Highway 3 from Fremouw Road to Jefferson Parkway for safe, pleasant travel along and across the highway prioritizing slower speeds, local access, safe intersections, and connections to the Mill Towns State Trail, Transit Hub, and the riverfront.
• Design for safe access, when making transportation decisions, focus on the land use context and building streets which promote safe, low stress travel.
In the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan:
• Improve pedestrian safety
• Create a pedestrian walking and biking crossing improvement plan for TH-3.
Alternative Options:
Staff recommends supporting further collaboration/planning with MnDOT on the upcoming projects.
Financial Impacts:
NA
Tentative Timelines:
NA