Smith/Dodd Reopens

Thanks to Block Portrait Studios and Bisanz Brothers for their support.

After six months of construction, the Smith/Dodd intersection has reopened. Workers removed barriers this morning and traffic began flowing.

• Why: The area has seen 20 recorded accidents between 2018 and 2022. The Dodd and Bernard intersection specifically has a crash index 2.5 times higher than the national average. The project reduces crosswalk distances in an effort to avoid pedestrian accidents, like this one in 2024.
• Parks: Work on the parks—an expanded Albert Park and a new Officer Scott Patrick Memorial—will happen next year.
• History: The realignment plan has been more than a decade in the works, with recommendations issued in 2017 and $3.1 million in federal money allocated in 2023.
• Redevelopment: No updates on the redevelopment of the Doddway shopping center, first proposed in 2021.
• More closures: Smith/Dodd opens just in time for a portion of Highway 13 to close. MnDOT is doing more erosion control along the bluff, with a detour going through Smith/Dodd.

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