Starting at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, April 12, the ramp from East River Rd. to westbound Highway 610 will be closed to traffic as part of an ongoing construction project in the area. The ramp is expected to remain closed until June 30. You can get the latest updates on the Anoka Co. Highway Department website.
Since 2021, construction crews have been working to make a number of safety improvements for both traffic and pedestrians on Foley Blvd. between Coon Rapids Blvd. and East River Rd. That has led to lane closures on both Foley Blvd. and East River Rd. Once complete, Foley Blvd. will be a four-lane divided roadway with an overpass at the railroad tracks similar to the one on Hanson Blvd.
Project components include:
- Elimination of the existing at-grade railroad crossing made possible by the realignment of Foley Boulevard and a bridge over the BNSF tracks.
- ADA compliant trail on the north side and sidewalk on the south side of Foley Boulevard.
- A raised center median on Foley Boulevard.
- Lengthened and/or additional turn lanes.
- Extension of 96th Avenue to an intersection with Foley Boulevard and the Park-and-Ride entrance/exit.
- Intersection improvements at the Foley Boulevard and the Park-and-Ride entrance/exit
- Traffic signal improvements at the Foley Boulevard intersections with East River Road and Coon Rapids Boulevard.
This project is separate from another one in the area that remains in the planning stages. The City wants to create a full access interchange at Hwy. 610 and East River Road. Currently, only a westbound on-ramp and an eastbound off-ramp exist.
Following a community survey and several open houses last year, a new design called the "NE Loop" has been selected. The City and County hope to get layout approval from MnDOT this summer. Once a final layout is approved, the project team will begin developing detailed plans. In the meantime, other ongoing work includes noise investigations, traffic modeling and environmental documentation. The interchange project also needs additional funding to become a reality.