Politics & Government

Hwy. 100 Redevelopment to Feature Public Art, Emphasize 'Visual Experience'

The visual aesthetics of Highway 100 were a topic of discussion during a recent St. Louis Park City Council study session.

The visual aesthetics of Highway 100 were a hot topic of discussion as the St. Louis Park City Council met for a study session on Monday, April 8.

While construction isn't slated to begin until late 2014, MnDOT is hoping to have the redevelopment project's Visual Quality Manual completed this July, following an open house either later this spring or early in the summer.

Michael Schroeder, a landscape architect and planning focus leader with LHB Engineers and Architects, provided St. Louis Park City Council with an update on the project during the study session.

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Schroeder said the group has been working alongside a group of engaged citizens over the course of several meetings to help make the future "visual experience of Highway 100" an important part of the MnDOT project.

"We want to make Highway 100 less like a dividing line," Schroeder said. "We're looking for ways to maintain a sense of innovation, be responsive the environment, incorporate public art and highlight St. Louis Park as a community."

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The group of citizens came up with a number of words they felt describe St. Louis Park, including "innovative," "progressive," "vibrant," "embracing," and "visionary." Schroeder said architects then took those words and attempted to implement them into preliminary designs for the highway corridor—including bridges, retaining walls and noise walls.

Schroeder said he the design is meant to not lose the quality of art deco bridges already out there, but to rather make the bridges feel more connected to the passage of Highway 100 below them. Fanning arm-like forms will bookend the bridge at either end, with "simple spans" in the middle.

"The bridge is more of a receding form, but is still prominent from the corridor as you pass under it," Schroeder said. "We're also looking at ways we can allow lighting to be part of the experience, so it's expressive at nigh as well as during the day."

Council Member Jake Spano said he liked a lot of the "simplicity of design" displayed by MnDOT in the project.

"I think it speaks back to the WPA era, when a lot of this was built," Spano said. "I like the scale you're dealing with in terms of your railing and light fixtures. The heights are really, really great."

Meanwhile Council Member Julia Ross said she was glad to see some unique lighting incorporated in the preliminary bridge designs.

"I'm a huge fan of the 35W bridge, so I'm glad we can incorporate some of that," Ross said.

As a longtime St. Louis Park resident, Council Member Steve Hallfin said he would really like to see lilacs incorporated into the landscaping of the project.

"Even if some people want to move on, I still think it's important to have a splash of that history here," Hallfin said.

In addition to the overall converstation, Council members gave city staff the go-ahead to contract with Myklebust+Sears for public art design along the highway corridor.

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