FAQs

Local streets provide direct access to homes and residences in the city. They generally do not have lane or centerline markings and very few traffic signs. Local streets are intended to provide short trips at low speeds to/from the larger roadway system of collector streets and the arterial system. Speed limit signs are not added to local streets, but are always posted on the larger street system.

As defined in State Statute 169.14, Subd. 2, https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/169.14 the speed limit on local streets was/is set at 30 MPH. The City is reducing that to 25 MPH.

In 2019 the State Legislature granted cities the authority to change speed limits on roadways within their systems. Prior to then, the state through the Department of Transportation, was solely responsible for establishing speed limits on roadways in Minnesota.

Many of the larger roads in the City are part of the County system, and Hennepin County was not granted the same permissions to set speed limits under the 2019 legislation.

All of the Highways in the City (TH-77, TH-169, I-35W and I-494) are under State jurisdiction, and the City has no authority to change speed limits on the state system.    

1. reflect the role that a road serves in the transportation system, and:
2. minimize the risks for all users of the facility (including pedestrians & bicyclists and other non-motorized users), and:
3. maintain good mobility & efficiency for the community.

Local Streets (25 MPH): These roads provide direct access to homes and residences in Bloomington and are the heart of the community. Pedestrians, bicyclists and other cars can be expected at any time, anywhere along local streets. They are intended for low speed, short trips between residences and the larger roadway system.

Collector Streets (30MPH): These roads are wider than local streets, and have been designed to accommodate slightly higher speeds. The speed limit is posted on collector streets using the familiar black and white signs. Non-motorized users can be expected on these roadways, especially along paths, sidewalks and shoulders or bike lanes. These roadways are intended for longer trips within the community, and so should provide a slight time advantage over local streets. Examples in Bloomington include 106^th Street, 102^nd Street, Xerxes Avenue, Nesbitt Avenue.

Arterial Streets (35MPH): Arterial roadways carry much higher traffic volumes, including heavy freight. They often provide access to commercial areas, and are important to the economy of the City and the region. Non-motorized users can also be found on the arterial system, and are usually accommodated by separate facilities such as trails, sidewalks, dedicated bike lanes and crossing amenities. Providing a time advantage and maintaining good capacity on the arterial system helps ensure that drivers stay off of the local and collector system for longer trips. Examples of arterials in Bloomington include American Boulevard, portions of 98^th Street and most of Lyndale Avenue.

There are some roadways in the City that were originally constructed very wide, with large medians, and with few driveways or accesses, similar to a parkway or expressway. Those types of designs tend to facilitate higher vehicle speeds. While staff would like to reduce speeds on these roads, simply posting a lower speed limit would have very little effect on driver behavior, outside of nearly continuous police enforcement. As such, staff are recommending that the 35 MPH speed limit be retained on these roadways until they can be studied as part of pavement management or other work, and rebuilt consistent with a lower speed.