Highway 10 Ramsey Gateway

For decades, the Highway 10 corridor in Ramsey, Minnesota presented persistent safety, congestion, and connectivity challenges for the City of Ramsey, Anoka County, and MnDOT. High crash rates, unreliable access, and hazardous at-grade rail crossings caused frequent delays, sometimes for hours, backing traffic onto Highway 10 and impeding emergency response. Previous visions for the corridor were costly, disruptive, and stalled by environmental, funding, and community concerns. The region needed a realistic, implementable solution that could improve safety and mobility without disturbing surrounding neighborhoods, businesses, and natural resources.

Bolton & Menk stepped in as the visionary leader and principal consultant, guiding the project from early access planning through final design and construction. The team united multiple agencies around a shared vision, broke the corridor challenges into manageable improvements, and introduced innovative solutions such as grade-separated interchanges, a new frontage road system, and context-sensitive roundabout designs. Bolton & Menk also led an aggressive funding strategy, securing $120 million in outside funding, including a record-setting $40 million INFRA grant, while maintaining transparent, inclusive public engagement throughout delivery.

As a result, the Highway 10 Ramsey Gateway transformed one of Minnesota’s most dangerous corridors into a safer, more reliable, and community-connected transportation asset. The project eliminated at-grade rail crossings, removed 51 direct access points, reduced traffic delays by more than 60 percent, and preserved neighborhoods and businesses through dramatically reduced property impacts. Today, the corridor supports long-term growth, improved emergency response, and a safer future for all users—standing as a blueprint for modern corridor planning.