Wayzata Boulevard reconstruction

County Road 112 in Long Lake and Orono

Wayzata Boulevard (County Road 112) is a four-mile long corridor within the cities of Long Lake and Orono that was previously U. S. Highway 12.

The reconstruction project will address deteriorating pavement, updates to utilities and improvements to drainage and storm water management.

The result will be a safer, more livable and welcoming road, with the following features:

New driving surfaces
Restored shoreline
Additional roadway lighting
Upgraded pedestrian crossings
Improved sidewalk and streetscapes
Updates to the road, trails and boulevards

The reconstruction is being completed in three phases.

Phase 1: Willow Drive to Wolf Pointe Trail: Construction planned to begin in April 2017

Phase 1 reconstruction - final design layout (PDF)

Phase 2: Wolf Pointe Trail to Highway 12 ramps: Construction anticipated to begin in 2018

Phase 2 design - final design layout (PDF)

Phase 3: East of County Road 6 to Willow Drive: Construction anticipated to begin in 2019

Open all

Phase 1 reconstruction

Phase 1 reconstruction, from Willow Drive to Wolf Pointe Trail, is set to begin in 2017.

The project team has been collaborating with city staffs, policymakers, a city-appointed Project Advisory Committee members and directly with the public through a series of project open house and small group meetings. The goal is to identify community priorities and incorporate elements into the design that balance the efficient transportation of vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles with safety, convenience and the costs of construction and ongoing maintenance.

The county is currently in the process of developing detailed design plans for roadway and streetscape enhancement elements for the first phase of reconstruction. Right of way and easements will be acquired in 2016.

Phase 1 final design layout (PDF 10MB)

Open house

An open house was hosted on November 18, 2015 to discuss improvements along Wayzata Boulevard (County Road 112) from Willow Drive to Wolf Pointe Trail. It was held in anticipation of the design completion and as a follow up to an April open house.

The open house covered:

Community-requested changes, including a trail adjustment and a temporary bypass
Designs being considered for the road, sidewalks and boulevards
Approximate project timelines

Open house materials

Previous open houses

In addition to the April open house, other open house meetings were held in 2012 and 2013 to present the concept and preliminary designs.

Project background

Wayzata Boulevard was originally constructed as part of the state’s trunk highway system. In the mid- to late-2000s, the Minnesota Department of Transportation built the Highway 12 bypass. In 2011, MnDOT returned jurisdiction of old Highway 12 to Hennepin County as a county state aid highway. As part of that project, the roadway was overlain with bituminous to temporarily correct poor pavement surfaces. Other significant improvements of the corridor were not performed as part of MnDOT’s construction project.

A former trunk highway, the roadway was primarily designed for efficient traffic movement through the corridor, and does not adequately address many local priorities such as pedestrian mobility and safety, parking, bicycle trail connectivity, and access.

The “turn-back” of roadway jurisdiction from MnDOT to Hennepin County has allowed the county, along with the cities of Long Lake and Orono, to evaluate the roadway and identify potential improvements that deliver safe and efficient transportation while balancing the needs and desires of the local community. The county and cities are working on a design for the roadway that will serve the needs of the community.

Baseline information such as topography, soils conditions, utility information, right of way information and traffic data were gathered and analyzed by the project team. Concept designs were developed and refined based on public input for both phase 1 and phase 2 of the project.

Project corridor

The corridor supports local and regional economic development, services Hennepin County commuters, and provides local users with access to residences, businesses and schools.

Throughout the four-mile-long corridor, the character of the roadway changes significantly between residential, business/commercial, industrial, and agricultural/rural adjacent land uses. Different approaches will be required to meet each area’s unique priorities. The project team is working to identify distinct roadway segments and address each section’s priorities.

Project corridor

The corridor supports local and regional economic development, services Hennepin County commuters, and provides local users with access to residences, businesses and schools.

The reconstruction project is addressing deteriorating pavement, updating utilities and making improvements for drainage and storm water management.

The result will be a safer, more livable and welcoming road, with the following features:

New pavement for a smoother ride
Restored and improved Long Lake shoreline
New shared turn lanes to improve traffic flow
New street lighting for better visibility
New sidewalks and trails with a boulevard buffer
Safer pedestrian and trail crossings
Improved accessibility for people with disabilities

Public involvement

Phase 1 design and construction

The project team collaborated with city staffs, policymakers, a city-appointed Project Advisory Committee members and directly with the public through a series of project open houses and small group meetings. The team was able to identify community priorities and incorporate elements into the design that balance the efficient transportation of vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles with safety, convenience and the costs of construction and ongoing maintenance.

Open houses and meetings were hosted from 2012 to 2015 to discuss design concepts and layouts for improvements along Wayzata Boulevard between Willow Drive and Wolf Pointe Trail. Additional open houses were hosted on March 23, 2017 and April 3, 2018 to provide the public with information on the upcoming construction along Wayzata Boulevard.

Previous phase 1 open house materials

Phase 1 design project advisory committee (PAC) meetings

Preliminary layouts

Phase 1 temporary bypass preliminary staging matrix - August 2015 (PDF)

Other

Phase 2 design and construction

Phase 2 reconstruction, from Wolf Pointe Trail to Wayzata Boulevard, is currently in design. Construction will begin 2018.

An open house was hosted in October 2016 to discuss improvements along from Wolf Pointe Trail to Wayzata Boulevard.

On April 3, 2018, Hennepin County hosted an open house to provide the public with information on the upcoming construction along Wayzata Boulevard between Wolf Pointe Trail and Highway 12 ramps.

Open house materials

Phase 3 design

Phase 3 reconstruction, from half mile east of County Road 6 to Willow Drive, will be in design starting in late fall 2018. However, with due to funding, construction will be delayed until at least 2020.

Phase 3 preliminary layout (PDF 10MB)

Open all