Northwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the city of Ramsey in Anoka County, a partnership between the city, the county, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is at work on a road project that will upgrade the heavily used U.S. Highway 10/169 corridor through Ramsey. The purpose of the multi-year Highway 10 Gateway Project is to address capacity and operational issues, improve safety, and maintain the functionality of Highway 10, an important route in the statewide transportation system.
The Gateway Project includes the construction of grade-separated interchanges at Ramsey Boulevard and Sunfish Lake Boulevard (replacing existing signalized intersections), roundabouts at both interchanges, a new frontage road between the new interchanges, grade separation of the BNSF railway and new bridges over the railroad crossings, and the elimination of numerous existing access points.
Located in the northern part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, Anoka County is the fourth-most populous county in Minnesota, with a population of over 363,000. Ramsey is a suburb of the city of Anoka, the county seat. Located less than 25 miles from downtown Minneapolis, the city of Ramsey has a population of over 28,500 and is experiencing significant growth.
“Highway 10 is a principal arterial with a primary purpose of providing direct, relatively high-speed service for longer trips and large traffic volumes,” said Kent Barnard, MnDOT Communications and Media Coordinator. “Today, traffic on Highway 10 in Ramsey ranges from 35,500 to 56,000 vehicles per day, of which over 2,800 are heavy commercial vehicles. By 2045, traffic volumes on Highway 10 are forecasted to range from 48,800 vehicles per day on the west end to 74,200 vehicles per day on the east end.
“Approximately 50 percent of the total traffic travels straight through the project area during morning and evening rush hours. Currently, all intersections in the project area experience backups and all intersections along Highway 10 operate with significant delay. Backups in the westbound through-lanes at the Highway 10 and Sunfish Lake Boulevard intersection can extend nearly 4 miles in Anoka.”
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The route is a significant commuter and freight corridor between the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area and greater northern Minnesota. It also serves as a connection to northern Minnesota lakes and outdoor tourism destinations.
“BNSF is the state's busiest railway, with 58 trains per day, including commuter trains,” Barnard said. “Frequent trains cause delays and backups onto Highway 10.”
Safety improvements are also a critical goal of the project, according to Barnard.
“Between 2015 and 2019, the project area saw a total of 207 crashes,” he said. “Sixty-eight percent of these crashes were rear-end crashes primarily occurring at traffic signals. Between 2010 and 2019, three fatal crashes occurred, two of which involved a pedestrian fatality. Even in the unsafe and challenging conditions, pedestrians and bicyclists were commonly seen traveling along or attempting to cross Highway 10.
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“With the regional significance and intended function of Highway 10, the excessive number of local access points were identified as being unsafe and unnecessary. Prior to this project, there were two signalized intersections and 51 public and private direct accesses to Highway 10 between Thurston Avenue and Armstong Boulevard. The lack of a local roadway system encouraged local traffic to utilize the highway system for local trips.”
The Gateway project, which was developed from a Highway 10 Access Planning Study completed in 2014, is addressing issues that have been major safety and mobility concerns for years. These issues — high crash rates, ever-increasing traffic backups, and an excessive number of local access points — have consistently impacted the movement of goods and people along the corridor.
“In 2022, the Highway 10 project in the city of Anoka was completed, which removed the existing traffic signals and constructed new interchanges at Fairoak Avenue and Thurston Avenue, increasing the efficiency and speed of traffic entering Ramsey,” Barnard said. “After construction in Anoka, the traffic signals at Ramsey Boulevard and Sunfish Lake Boulevard in Ramsey were the only remaining at-grade traffic signals on the U.S. Highway 10/169 freeway system from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Elk River.
“Without the Gateway Project, delays would increase throughout the project area and backups would lengthen. This would have significant impacts on local and regional freight mobility and economic competitiveness. Locally, heavy commercial vehicles would be delayed several hours a day attempting to reach nearby industrial areas and the Ramsey COR downtown development [a 322-acre mixed-use development anchored by a municipal center and a commuter rail transit station].”
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The primary contractor on the Highway 10 Gateway Project is Ames Construction of Burnsville, Minnesota, who was awarded the contract in October of 2023. The designer/engineer for the project is Bolton & Menk, Inc., headquartered in Mankato, Minnesota. Major subcontractors include: Park Construction (bituminous paving), PCI (concrete barrier), Minnesota State Curb & Gutter, Minger Construction (pipe jacking), and Egan Company (electrical/traffic management systems).
Following an initial widening project — designed to allow two lanes of traffic in each direction during the project construction phases — main construction on the project began in October 2023. Substantial completion is scheduled for October 2025.
“This project consists of a full reconstruction of 2.5 miles of Highway 10 in Ramsey,” said Nick McCoy, Ames Construction Project Engineer. “We are building a tight diamond interchange with grade separation of Highway 10 and the BNSF railway at both Ramsey Boulevard and Sunfish Lake Boulevard. In addition, the construction includes four bridges — two over mainline Highway 10 and two over BNSF’s railroad — as well as 13 MSE [mechanically stabilized earth] walls, seven CIP [cast-in-place] walls, new bit pavement, new concrete barrier, new storm sewer, and new city of Ramsey sanitary and water mains.”
Other project elements include:
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- Roundabout ramp intersections for better traffic operations and safety
- Shortened bridge lengths
- Smaller interchange footprints for reduced property impacts and construction costs
- Minimal impacts to the Mississippi West Regional Park
- 10-foot trail connections on all bridge crossings
- Pedestrian and bicycle connections
- A north frontage road
- An extension of Riverdale Drive (a local east-west roadway)
“The extension of Riverdale Drive on the south side of the highway removes direct business and property access from Highway 10 and keeps local trips off the highway,” Barnard said. “This will improve safety and mobility for residents, regional commuters, business patrons, and freight. The new north frontage road connecting the Ramsey Boulevard and Sunfish Lake Boulevard interchanges will remove numerous private driveway access points from Highway 10 while maintaining exiting for most businesses in their current location.”
The projected cost of construction is estimated at $138 million. Funding sources include:
- Anoka County
- City of Ramsey
- MnDOT's 10-year Capital Highway Investment Plan
- Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Grant Program
- State General Obligation Bonds
- State Bond Funds
- State Rail Funds
- 2020 and 2021 Bond Funds
- Metropolitan Council Regional Solicitation
- Minnesota Highway Freight Program
- Coronavirus Relief/Response Funds
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“The first stage of the main project work, which was completed in November 2023, included temporary construction, building removals, temporary signal systems, clearing, and grubbing,” McCoy said. “Bridge girders were set on the bridge over the BNSF railroad and the bridge over Highway 10 in September 2024, and the Sunfish Lake Boulevard interchange opened in November 2024.”
The Riverdale Drive extension and a portion of the northern frontage road were also under construction during 2024. Construction of the Ramsey Boulevard interchange and the remaining portions of the northern frontage road are underway in 2025, with the frontage road scheduled to open in July and the Ramsey interchange scheduled to open to traffic in September.
Equipment in use on the project includes: Caterpillar 395 Excavator, two Caterpillar 349/352 Excavators, five Caterpillar 336/340 Excavators, two Caterpillar D6 Dozers, Caterpillar 150 Motor Grader, two Caterpillar 962/966 Wheel Loaders, six Caterpillar 299 Skid Loaders, two 100-ton cranes, and one 50-ton crane.
McCoy said that Ames is using an MSE wall system that is tensioned with Geogrid, rather than the traditional steel strap method from the MSE panel.
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“Completion of the Highway 10 Gateway Project will improve traffic flow, which will make the highway corridor more desirable for business and industry, removing signals that serve to slow down traffic,” Barnard said. “Easing traffic flow and reducing congestion will improve travel times for motorists traveling to entertainment destinations within the area and in Greater Minnesota.
“One of the pluses of this project has been the close coordination among the Minnesota DOT, Anoka County, and the city of Ramsey. This close cooperation has led to a much more integrated transportation solution for this corridor and will continue to work well for future projects.”
Photos courtesy of Ames Construction
