Resolution expected to study future of Ayd Mill Road
The St. Paul City Council is expected to pass a resolution Wednesday to study the future of a fiercely-debated roadway.
Residents and city leaders have argued for decades over what to do with Ayd Mill Road, known to long-time St. Paulites as the Short Line Road for the commuter rail line it used to carry. The road was envisioned in the 1960s as a freeway connection between I-94 and I-35E.
But neighbors worried about noise and traffic resisted that plan, and at one time even pushed to turn Ayd Mill Road into a park. It now runs between I-35E and Selby Avenue.
The City Council's current position is that Ayd Mill Road should be narrowed from four to two lanes and it remain a city street rather than a highway. The proposed study would study that option, as well as examine connecting it indirectly to I-94.
The council resolution would also lift a ban on bicyclists along a portion of the road.
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