Anoka County Opens Public Dialogue on the Future of Highway 65 With Feb. 3 Thrive on 65 Open House

Anoka, MN

On a winter evening in early February, residents of Anoka County will be invited into the long view of a road that has shaped daily life, economic movement, and public safety across the north metro for decades.

On Tuesday, February 3, Anoka County, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, will host a public open house for the Thrive on 65 Project, a sweeping infrastructure initiative designed to remake one of Minnesota’s most heavily traveled and most dangerous corridors. The open house will run from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Bunker Hills Activity Center, located at 550 Bunker Lake Boulevard NW in Andover.

The event will focus on the Bunker Lake Boulevard intersection phase of the project, offering the public its clearest look yet at preliminary designs and the timeline for construction. Engineers, planners, and county staff will be on hand in an open house format to answer questions, explain safety improvements, and collect feedback from residents whose commutes and neighborhoods will be directly affected.

A Corridor Under Strain

Highway 65, also known as Central Avenue, is a critical north south artery linking Blaine, Ham Lake, Spring Lake Park, and surrounding communities to the Twin Cities. It is also a corridor long associated with congestion, unpredictable travel times, and crash rates well above the state average, according to MnDOT corridor studies.

The Thrive on 65 Project represents a fundamental shift in how the roadway will function. Rather than relying on closely spaced signalized intersections, the corridor is being redesigned as a freeway style facility that separates high speed through traffic from local access.

At the heart of that transformation are grade separated interchanges that will eliminate the stop and go conditions responsible for many of the corridor’s most serious crashes.

What Is Changing

Under the full Thrive on 65 plan, signalized intersections will be replaced with bridges and ramps at several key crossings, including 99th Avenue, 105th Avenue, 109th Avenue, and 117th Avenue and Cloud Drive. These interchanges are designed to allow uninterrupted traffic flow while reducing the risk of severe right angle and rear end collisions.

To preserve access for residents and businesses, the project also includes the construction of frontage and backage roads. These parallel routes will consolidate driveway access and local street connections, keeping slower local traffic separate from high speed highway movement.

Pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure is also a major component of the project. Sidewalks and trails along the corridor will be reconstructed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards, improving safety and accessibility for people who travel outside of vehicles.

County and state officials have emphasized that these upgrades are not cosmetic. They are intended to address long standing safety deficiencies while preparing the corridor for decades of regional growth.

Why It Matters

Transportation planners estimate that during peak periods, travel times through this stretch of Highway 65 can reach 40 minutes. With the freeway conversion complete, that same trip could be reduced to roughly 10 minutes, a change that would reshape commuting patterns across the north metro.

The economic implications are equally significant. Local leaders have argued that chronic congestion along Highway 65 has discouraged business investment and limited redevelopment opportunities. By creating predictable travel conditions, the project is expected to unlock new economic activity while improving quality of life for residents.

Timeline and Funding

Preliminary work along the corridor, including design, environmental review, and utility relocation, has already taken place. Major reconstruction is scheduled to begin in 2026 and is expected to continue for approximately four years.

The project is funded through a combination of state, federal, and local sources. In 2023, a major funding package was secured that included $168 million in state funding and $33 million in federal funding for the broader Highway 65 improvements. The Bunker Lake Boulevard phase has also received an additional $10 million in federal transportation funding, allowing it to advance into its next stage.

The effort is being led by Anoka County in coordination with Minnesota Department of Transportation and the cities along the corridor.

An Invitation to the Public

County officials describe the February 3 open house as a key moment for community input. While the overall direction of the project is set, public feedback will help refine design details, construction staging, and mitigation measures for nearby neighborhoods.

For residents who have spent years navigating backups, near misses, and long delays on Highway 65, the meeting represents something more than a technical briefing. It is a chance to shape the future of a road that has long defined daily life in Anoka County.

As construction approaches, the Thrive on 65 Project is moving from planning to reality. On February 3, the public is being invited to step into that process and have a voice in how one of Minnesota’s most consequential transportation projects moves forward.

MinneapoliMedia