On Tuesday, the Edina City Council abruptly hit pause on a proposed $20 million pedestrian underpass beneath France Avenue, shelving a major safety project that was being planned between West 72nd Street and Gallagher Drive. The move stalls work city staff had been pursuing alongside redevelopment of the former Macy’s furniture site and leaves the high-profile crossing idea without any clear path to construction.
As reported by KARE11, council members voted to stop immediate progress on the underpass after a rush of public comments that questioned the scope of the project, its $20 million price tag and how, exactly, the city planned to pay for it. The station noted that the decision puts a stop to any pending steps tied to moving the design contract ahead.
Engineering Work Put On Ice
The council was poised to consider awarding nearly $388,000 to engineering firm LHB for preliminary architectural and engineering work, a contract meant to sharpen the project’s design and nail down a more detailed cost estimate. That item was pulled back as council members weighed residents’ concerns alongside other budget priorities, according to the Star Tribune.
What The Underpass Was Supposed To Fix…