Quick-Build / Demonstration Projects in Minnesota

Updated June 15th, 2023

MnDOT installs demonstration projects to show what future changes to our roads might look like and improve the transportation experience for people walking and bicycling. Demonstration projects are quick to build and cheaper than full construction projects, using temporary traffic control materials and paint. The cost of these projects is often $100 to $20,000 each, far less than full construction projects that can often cost millions of dollars.

Testing designs using demonstration projects helps MnDOT make sure long-term fixes are the best fit for the community and the people who live there. Some are installed for a few days while others can be installed for a few months. People can try walking, bicycling, taking transit, or driving through the project areas and share their thoughts when projects are built. Your feedback on these projects helps to make future projects better.

The projects highlighted in this map were constructed between 2019 and 2023. MnDOT works with communities on demonstration projects through District offices or the Safe Routes to School program. Grant funding is occasionally available to support building these projects.

Blooming Prairie (2021)

Blooming Prairie (2021). Click to expand.

MnDOT District 6 installed a large intersection reconfiguration to help community members experience what a proposed future project could make permanent. The reconfiguration shortens crossing distances, reduces turning radii, and is intended to reduce speeds.

La Crescent (2021)

La Crescent (2021). Click to expand.

This project installed curb extensions, bicycle lane markings in the intersection, and refreshed crosswalk paint. These improvements helped shorten crossing distances and make it safer for people walking and bicycling through the intersection.

Sauk Centre | Main St & 4th St (2020)

Sauk Centre | Main St & 4th St (2020). Click to expand.

This project added bumpouts at all four corners of the intersection to shorten crossing distances and increase visibility for people walking.

Sauk Centre | Main St & Sinclair Lewis Ave (2020)

Sauk Centre | Main St & Sinclair Lewis Ave (2020). Click to expand.

Bumpouts were added to the eastern corners of Sinclair Lewis Avenue to shorten crossing distances for people walking. Bumpouts help drivers to see people trying to cross the street. One bumpout was removed shortly after installation due to conflicts with truck turning movements.

Sauk Centre | Main St & Sauk River (2020)

Sauk Centre | Main St & Sauk River (2020). Click to expand.

The shoulder of the bridge over the Sauk River Dam was converted into a protected bicycle lane. This gave more space to people walking on the sidewalks and a consistent place for people to bike in both directions on the bridge.

Alexandria (2020)

Alexandria (2020). Click to expand.

This project made changes to an existing pedestrian refuge island in stages. The first stage included adding a rapid rectangular flashing beacon. The second stage added tube delineators to increase visibility of the pedestrian island. The third stage eliminated north-south cross traffic. The fourth and final stage closed the southbound left turn lane completely. The community used these test results to move ahead with a long-term implementation of the fourth stage design.

Marshall (2020)

Marshall (2020). Click to expand.

This demonstration project converted a center-left-turn lane into a 100-foot long median refuge island. Refuge islands provide a safe place for people crossing to stop. People walking only need to look for traffic in one direction at a time at crossings with refuge islands, and the narrower feeling in the road reduces driver speeds.

Saint Paul | Robert St & Isabel Ave (2020)

Saint Paul | Robert St & Isabel Ave (2020). Click to expand.

Painted bumpouts and refreshed crosswalk markings were added on Robert Street at Isabel Street on Saint Paul's West Side. These improvements improve visibility for people walking and reduce crossing distances.

Madison (2020)

Madison (2020). Click to expand.

This project included bumpouts, a median refuge island, and bicycle lanes. All three were tested on the Highway 75 corridor to help the community envision potential changes and understand how final treatments might look.

Windom (2020)

Windom (2020). Click to expand.

This project added bumpouts at all corners of an intersection and closed access from a driveway close to a crosswalk. This provided an improved, safe connection between the neighborhood and downtown to the north, and a large city park to the south.

Henning (2020)

Henning (2020). Click to expand.

This project added a midblock crosswalk and narrowed the roadway section in downtown Henning to replicate the proposed design for an upcoming project.

Kasson (2019)

Kasson (2019). Click to expand.

The Kasson-Mantorville Public School installed a demonstration project in the Spring of 2019 in the City of Kasson. Curb Extensions were painted along with high visibility crosswalks. Flex posts were installed as well to reduce crossing distances, calm traffic, and improve visibility of an intersection between the High School and Middle School.

New Hope (2019)

New Hope (2019). Click to expand.

Meadow Lake Elementary between the Cities of Brooklyn Park and New Hope installed a demonstration project in the Fall of 2019. Curb Extensions, a lane reduction, and turning restrictions were implemented with the use of temporary paint, signage, and flex posts.

Warren (2021)

Warren (2021). Click to expand.

The Warren-Alvarado-Oslo School District installed a demonstration project in the Spring of 2021 in the City of Warren. The project installed curb extensions and an in-road walkway to improve safety for people walking to and from school. This project reduces crossing distances and provides a safe place for people to walk where a sidewalk does not currently exist.

Fond du Lac (2020)

Fond du Lac (2020). Click to expand.

Carlton County, Fond du Lac Ojibwe School, and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa staff contributed to safety improvement for two intersections near the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School in October, 2020. Curb extensions were painted along with high visibility crosswalks. Flex posts were installed as well to calm traffic. The curb extensions, lane reductions, and median refuge islands were also implemented to reduce crossing distances to improve safety.

Beaver Bay (2021)

Beaver Bay (2021). Click to expand.

Where the Gitchi Gami Trail intersects with Highway 61 in Beaver Bay, this project aimed to increase the amount of drivers yielding to people walking and biking through the trail crossing. The project included the installation of bumpouts to shorten the crossing distance as well as a Pedestrian Gateway Treatment (pedestrian crossing signs placed at the edge of each lane) to increase visibility of the crossing.

Long Prairie (2021)

Long Prairie (2021). Click to expand.

A temporary shared use path was created using plastic delineators along Highway 287. Curb bumpouts were installed at several intersections to reduce the crossing distance for people walking.

Wahkon (2021)

Wahkon (2021). Click to expand.

Curb bumpouts and bike lanes were installed along Highway 27 (Main Street) using paint and flexible delineators.

Braham (2021)

Braham (2021). Click to expand.

Using plastic delineators and paint, the roadway along Highway 107 was narrowed to slow vehicle speeds and temporary curb bumpouts were installed to shorten the crossing distance for people walking.

Moorhead (2021)

Moorhead (2021). Click to expand.

Pedestrian refuge islands were created in two locations by installing median islands in the center left turn lanes at each intersection (3rd Ave S and 4th Ave S) along TH 75.

Pelican Rapids (2021)

Pelican Rapids (2021). Click to expand.

In anticipation of the downtown reconstruction that will be taking place in Pelican Rapids in the future, several changes were made along Highway 59 between Mill and 1st Ave NE. Vehicle travel lanes were narrowed to demonstrate what more space dedicated to sidewalks could look like, and bumpouts were installed to create a more visible mid-block crossing.

Pelican Rapids (2021)

Pelican Rapids (2021). Click to expand.

MnDOT in partnership with the City of Pelican Rapids and West Central Turkeys created a temporary roundabout in the plant's parking lot to allow community members to experience how a future roundabout in the community might function.

Wells (2021)

Wells (2021). Click to expand.

Bumpouts were installed using paint and flexible delineators at the intersection of 3rd Street SW and Highway 22, and a bike lane was painted along 1st Street NW.

Pipestone (2021)

Pipestone (2021). Click to expand.

A pedestrian refuge island was installed at the intersection of 5th Street SE and Highway 75. Bumpouts were installed using paint and flexible delineators at 4th Street SE and Highway 75.

Burnsville (2021)

Burnsville (2021). Click to expand.

Curb Extensions were painted along 130th Street at the intersections of Portland Ave and Oakland Drive near Gideon Pond Elementary School in the City of Burnsville in August of 2021. Stop for Peds in Crosswalk signs were placed in the center of the roadway. The curb extensions and signs are designed to have a traffic calming effect and the intent is to slow down traffic in front of school and shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians.

Ashby (2021)

Ashby (2021). Click to expand.

Curb Extensions were painted along Grant County Road 4 at the intersection of Birch Ave and near the west entrance to the school in the City of Ashby in August of 2021. Birch Ave to the north was converted to a one-way in a southbound direction. The roadway was striped to accommodate a pedestrian lane. There isn’t a sidewalk along Birch and the demonstration is looking to get youth safely to school. The Curb Extensions are designed to have a traffic calming effect and the intent is to slow down traffic in front of school and shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians.

Bemidji (2022)

Bemidji (2022). Click to expand.

MnDOT District 2 created a temporary pedestrian refuge or median island by converting part of a left turn lane. This project used tube delineators to create a safer place for people to wait while crossing to and from Bemidji's Library Park.

Lake City (2022)

Lake City (2022). Click to expand.

This project installed curb extensions across Lakewood Ave at Prairie Street South, and curb extensions and a raised crosswalk on Prairie Street South at the high school entrance.

Shakopee (2022)

Shakopee (2022). Click to expand.

This project installed curb extensions across 10th Avenue West in combination with relocating a high-visibility crosswalk.

Saint Paul (2022)

Saint Paul (2022). Click to expand.

This project installed curb extensions at the intersection of Case Avenue East and Arkwright Street North.

South Saint Paul (2022)

South Saint Paul (2022). Click to expand.

This project installed curb extensions across 1st Avenue South at Dale Street East and Spruce Street East. High-visibility crosswalk markings were added to the southern leg of the intersection of 1st Avenue South and Spruce Street.

Richfield (2023)

Richfield (2023). Click to expand.

This project installed curb extensions East 70th Street and 12th Avenue South. Painted medians and high-visibility crosswalk markings were added across East 70th Street at Elliot Ave.

Minneapolis (2023)

Minneapolis (2023). Click to expand.

This project installed a two-way bicycle facility along East 34th Street from Clinton Avenue to Park Avenue. Curb extensions and a raised crosswalk was installed across East 34th Street at Clinton Avenue.

New York Mills (2023)

New York Mills (2023). Click to expand.

This project installed curb extensions and high-visibility crosswalk markings at the intersection of North Broadway Avenue (County Highway 67) and Miller Street. A striped pedestrian lane was installed along North Broadway Avenue from Miller Street to Mocking Bird Lane. High-visibility crosswalk markings for the pedestrian lane were installed across both the eastbound on-ramp and westbound off-ramp of US Highway 10.

New Ulm (2023)

New Ulm (2023). Click to expand.

This project installed curb extensions and a painted medians across North Garden Street at 1st North Street.

Hancock (2023)

Hancock (2023). Click to expand.

This project installed curb extensions at the intersection of Hancock Avenue and 2nd Street and at the intersection of Hancock Avenue and 3rd Street. A painted pedestrian lane was installed in the school parking lot from the driveway at Hancock Avenue to the school entrance.

Blooming Prairie (2021)

MnDOT District 6 installed a large intersection reconfiguration to help community members experience what a proposed future project could make permanent. The reconfiguration shortens crossing distances, reduces turning radii, and is intended to reduce speeds.

La Crescent (2021)

This project installed curb extensions, bicycle lane markings in the intersection, and refreshed crosswalk paint. These improvements helped shorten crossing distances and make it safer for people walking and bicycling through the intersection.

Sauk Centre | Main St & 4th St (2020)

This project added bumpouts at all four corners of the intersection to shorten crossing distances and increase visibility for people walking.

Sauk Centre | Main St & Sinclair Lewis Ave (2020)

Bumpouts were added to the eastern corners of Sinclair Lewis Avenue to shorten crossing distances for people walking. Bumpouts help drivers to see people trying to cross the street. One bumpout was removed shortly after installation due to conflicts with truck turning movements.

Sauk Centre | Main St & Sauk River (2020)

The shoulder of the bridge over the Sauk River Dam was converted into a protected bicycle lane. This gave more space to people walking on the sidewalks and a consistent place for people to bike in both directions on the bridge.

Alexandria (2020)

This project made changes to an existing pedestrian refuge island in stages. The first stage included adding a rapid rectangular flashing beacon. The second stage added tube delineators to increase visibility of the pedestrian island. The third stage eliminated north-south cross traffic. The fourth and final stage closed the southbound left turn lane completely. The community used these test results to move ahead with a long-term implementation of the fourth stage design.

Marshall (2020)

This demonstration project converted a center-left-turn lane into a 100-foot long median refuge island. Refuge islands provide a safe place for people crossing to stop. People walking only need to look for traffic in one direction at a time at crossings with refuge islands, and the narrower feeling in the road reduces driver speeds.

Saint Paul | Robert St & Isabel Ave (2020)

Painted bumpouts and refreshed crosswalk markings were added on Robert Street at Isabel Street on Saint Paul's West Side. These improvements improve visibility for people walking and reduce crossing distances.

Madison (2020)

This project included bumpouts, a median refuge island, and bicycle lanes. All three were tested on the Highway 75 corridor to help the community envision potential changes and understand how final treatments might look.

Windom (2020)

This project added bumpouts at all corners of an intersection and closed access from a driveway close to a crosswalk. This provided an improved, safe connection between the neighborhood and downtown to the north, and a large city park to the south.

Henning (2020)

This project added a midblock crosswalk and narrowed the roadway section in downtown Henning to replicate the proposed design for an upcoming project.

Kasson (2019)

The Kasson-Mantorville Public School installed a demonstration project in the Spring of 2019 in the City of Kasson. Curb Extensions were painted along with high visibility crosswalks. Flex posts were installed as well to reduce crossing distances, calm traffic, and improve visibility of an intersection between the High School and Middle School.

New Hope (2019)

Meadow Lake Elementary between the Cities of Brooklyn Park and New Hope installed a demonstration project in the Fall of 2019. Curb Extensions, a lane reduction, and turning restrictions were implemented with the use of temporary paint, signage, and flex posts.

Warren (2021)

The Warren-Alvarado-Oslo School District installed a demonstration project in the Spring of 2021 in the City of Warren. The project installed curb extensions and an in-road walkway to improve safety for people walking to and from school. This project reduces crossing distances and provides a safe place for people to walk where a sidewalk does not currently exist.

Fond du Lac (2020)

Carlton County, Fond du Lac Ojibwe School, and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa staff contributed to safety improvement for two intersections near the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School in October, 2020. Curb extensions were painted along with high visibility crosswalks. Flex posts were installed as well to calm traffic. The curb extensions, lane reductions, and median refuge islands were also implemented to reduce crossing distances to improve safety.

Beaver Bay (2021)

Where the Gitchi Gami Trail intersects with Highway 61 in Beaver Bay, this project aimed to increase the amount of drivers yielding to people walking and biking through the trail crossing. The project included the installation of bumpouts to shorten the crossing distance as well as a Pedestrian Gateway Treatment (pedestrian crossing signs placed at the edge of each lane) to increase visibility of the crossing.

Long Prairie (2021)

A temporary shared use path was created using plastic delineators along Highway 287. Curb bumpouts were installed at several intersections to reduce the crossing distance for people walking.

Wahkon (2021)

Curb bumpouts and bike lanes were installed along Highway 27 (Main Street) using paint and flexible delineators. 

Braham (2021)

Using plastic delineators and paint, the roadway along Highway 107 was narrowed to slow vehicle speeds and temporary curb bumpouts were installed to shorten the crossing distance for people walking. 

Moorhead (2021)

Pedestrian refuge islands were created in two locations by installing median islands in the center left turn lanes at each intersection (3rd Ave S and 4th Ave S) along TH 75.

Pelican Rapids (2021)

In anticipation of the downtown reconstruction that will be taking place in Pelican Rapids in the future, several changes were made along Highway 59 between Mill and 1st Ave NE. Vehicle travel lanes were narrowed to demonstrate what more space dedicated to sidewalks could look like, and bumpouts were installed to create a more visible mid-block crossing.

Pelican Rapids (2021)

MnDOT in partnership with the City of Pelican Rapids and West Central Turkeys created a temporary roundabout in the plant's parking lot to allow community members to experience how a future roundabout in the community might function.

Wells (2021)

Bumpouts were installed using paint and flexible delineators at the intersection of 3rd Street SW and Highway 22, and a bike lane was painted along 1st Street NW. 

Pipestone (2021)

A pedestrian refuge island was installed at the intersection of 5th Street SE and Highway 75. Bumpouts were installed using paint and flexible delineators at 4th Street SE and Highway 75.

Burnsville (2021)

Curb Extensions were painted along 130th Street at the intersections of Portland Ave and Oakland Drive near Gideon Pond Elementary School in the City of Burnsville in August of 2021. Stop for Peds in Crosswalk signs were placed in the center of the roadway. The curb extensions and signs are designed to have a traffic calming effect and the intent is to slow down traffic in front of school and shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians.

Ashby (2021)

Curb Extensions were painted along Grant County Road 4 at the intersection of Birch Ave and near the west entrance to the school in the City of Ashby in August of 2021. Birch Ave to the north was converted to a one-way in a southbound direction. The roadway was striped to accommodate a pedestrian lane. There isn’t a sidewalk along Birch and the demonstration is looking to get youth safely to school. The Curb Extensions are designed to have a traffic calming effect and the intent is to slow down traffic in front of school and shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians.

Bemidji (2022)

MnDOT District 2 created a temporary pedestrian refuge or median island by converting part of a left turn lane. This project used tube delineators to create a safer place for people to wait while crossing to and from Bemidji's Library Park.

Lake City (2022)

This project installed curb extensions across Lakewood Ave at Prairie Street South, and curb extensions and a raised crosswalk on Prairie Street South at the high school entrance.

Shakopee (2022)

This project installed curb extensions across 10th Avenue West in combination with relocating a high-visibility crosswalk.

Saint Paul (2022)

This project installed curb extensions at the intersection of Case Avenue East and Arkwright Street North.

South Saint Paul (2022)

This project installed curb extensions across 1st Avenue South at Dale Street East and Spruce Street East. High-visibility crosswalk markings were added to the southern leg of the intersection of 1st Avenue South and Spruce Street.

Richfield (2023)

This project installed curb extensions East 70th Street and 12th Avenue South. Painted medians and high-visibility crosswalk markings were added across East 70th Street at Elliot Ave.

Minneapolis (2023)

This project installed a two-way bicycle facility along East 34th Street from Clinton Avenue to Park Avenue. Curb extensions and a raised crosswalk was installed across East 34th Street at Clinton Avenue.

New York Mills (2023)

This project installed curb extensions and high-visibility crosswalk markings at the intersection of North Broadway Avenue (County Highway 67) and Miller Street. A striped pedestrian lane was installed along North Broadway Avenue from Miller Street to Mocking Bird Lane. High-visibility crosswalk markings for the pedestrian lane were installed across both the eastbound on-ramp and westbound off-ramp of US Highway 10.

New Ulm (2023)

This project installed curb extensions and a painted medians across North Garden Street at 1st North Street.

Hancock (2023)

This project installed curb extensions at the intersection of Hancock Avenue and 2nd Street and at the intersection of Hancock Avenue and 3rd Street. A painted pedestrian lane was installed in the school parking lot from the driveway at Hancock Avenue to the school entrance.