A request for six speed humps on Quincy Boulevard drew competing concerns over speeding, school traffic, snow removal and cost before the Blaine City Council voted to table the proposal May 4.
The council voted 5-1 to table an item that would have added the speed humps on Quincy Boulevard between Territorial Road and 109th Avenue as part of a street reconstruction project. Council Member Chris Ford cast the lone dissenting vote.
Supporters said Quincy Boulevard is used as a cut-through and has become unsafe for pedestrians and children near Madison Elementary School. Others questioned whether six speed humps were too many and whether the city needed more traffic data before acting.
Director of Engineering Dan Schluender said staff received feedback from several residents during a December 2025 open house for the project. Residents raised concerns about the speed and volume of traffic on Quincy Boulevard and requested speed humps.
Schluender said residents followed a formal petition process under the city’s Neighborhood Traffic Management Program. They obtained signatures from 76% of the benefiting parcels along Quincy Boulevard and 69% of the homes along 105th Lane.
Under the program, the neighborhood would be responsible for 75% of the installation cost, while the city would pay 25%. The speed humps are estimated to cost $5,000 each, or $30,000 total, which would be assessed to the parcels.
Donald Bressler, a Quincy Boulevard resident, said he and Dietrich Bressler felt six speed humps were excessive and questioned whether they would be needed if sidewalks were installed. Dietrich Bressler, who said she and Donald live on a corner near a stop sign, agreed that six speed humps would be expensive.
Nicole Berg, another Quincy Boulevard resident, identified herself as the person who circulated the petition. She said she reached 52 of the 60 houses she had hoped to contact, and 46 supported the request.
“When you look at that number, you’re looking at 80 some percent,” Berg said.
Berg said she also contacted nine of the 13 homes on a nearby cul-de-sac off Quincy Boulevard, and all of the residents she spoke with supported the request.
Berg said she and her husband have lived at their home for 21 years. During that time, she said, their mailbox has been hit and another neighbor’s car has been struck. She said traffic on the road has increased dramatically over the past 20 years.
“As the construction starts on Highway 65, it’s gonna be even worse,” Berg said.
Berg added that the area is near Madison Elementary School and that children walk through the neighborhood to get to school.
Another Quincy Boulevard resident said his then-girlfriend’s car was struck in a hit-and-run and pushed into his front yard. He said that type of incident is common on the road.
Resident Amanda Hernandez said she works from home and has camera footage showing people speeding every day.
“The amount of traffic is ridiculous,” Hernandez said. “And every day, weather permitting, I walk my dogs. When I cross to go to Quincy Park, the majority of people don’t even stop at that stop sign. They just speed right through.”
Schluender said the road reconstruction project is out for bid, with bids scheduled to be opened that Thursday. A contract award is expected to come before the council May 18.
Schluender said sidewalks are not being installed in the neighborhood.
“While everyone’s in favor of a sidewalk, everyone likes them on the other side of the street,” Schluender said. “And I know we haven’t had that discussion with this neighborhood, so I know they are not part of the project being proposed.”
Schluender said a formal traffic study had not been done, but staff believed Quincy Boulevard is used as a cut-through because the road avoids a signal at Jefferson Street and provides the first full-access route to 109th Avenue after a nearby median ends. The street also provides access to Madison Elementary School, which Schluender said may contribute to heavier traffic.
“I couldn’t speak to the speeding per se, but there are more cars on this street than just the residents of this block,” Schluender said.
Deputy Chief Joe Gerhardt said Quincy Boulevard has traditionally been known as a cut-through road and that police have been aware of speeding issues there.
Council Member Jess Robertson said she wished the item had first come to a workshop. She said residents submitted the petition in March, but the council was only receiving it with the current meeting packet.
Robertson said she wanted more discussion with engineering, police and Public Works before the council acted, especially given the safety concerns and traffic issues raised by residents.
“I have so many questions, because, is this the only option? Why, if this petition was turned in in March, are we getting it now in May?” Robertson said.
Council Member Tom Newland said residents often ask for measures such as signs and speed bumps when they have traffic concerns. But he said the number of proposed speed humps seemed excessive, particularly farther toward 106th Avenue and Territorial Road.
Newland said speed bumps have been removed elsewhere in the city over time after residents complained about the repeated “thunk-thunk” sound of vehicles driving over them.
“And to envision, a couple years down the road, that the homes on either side of six speed bumps will get tired of that sound, I would say is going to happen,” Newland said. “Because it’s happened elsewhere. So speed bumps seem to be an instant cure all, but I don’t know that it necessarily is.”
Schluender said the item did not return to workshop because other petitions the council had received were requests for improvements, such as sidewalks or road closures.
Speed humps, Schluender said, do not have a threshold for spacing or traffic volume and are instead based on neighborhood perception. Staff viewed six speed humps as the number needed to slow traffic.
Ford said he had driven on Quincy Boulevard while campaigning and that residents at every door he knocked on complained about traffic.
“The most important thing was getting the kids and stuff off the streets, and getting them in a place of safety,” Ford said. “I think that was their major concern. There’s a park over there, there’s a school down the road, and it’s really about the kids.”
Ford said he was not sure whether there was a better way to mitigate traffic, but he supported the proposal, saying drivers on the road need to slow down.
“It’s only gonna get worse when Highway 65 starts construction,” Ford said. “So we might as well do something about it now instead of waiting.”
Public Works Director Nick Fleischacker said the speed humps were doable, but snow removal would pose additional challenges. He said more salt would be needed because snow is difficult to clear from around speed humps, which can lead to ice on the road.
After the council voted to table the item, Mayor Tim Sanders told residents the main issue was finding the right solution. Sanders said he understood their concerns, saying he had a neighbor killed on his street and had both of his cars totaled in his driveway.
“What needs to happen is traffic calming measures put in place that displace non-residential traffic outside of your street,” Sanders said. “That’s the answer that we need. Is it six speed bumps? Might be. Is there something else? It might be.”
The council unanimously voted to vacate several right-of-way, road and street easements, along with ingress, egress, drainage and utility easements, for the 105th Avenue redevelopment project and Northway Estates.
Schluender said the city received a petition from EB Blaine Development LLC requesting the vacations over, under and across multiple parcels in Northway Estates, the area of the 105th Avenue redevelopment project. Schluender said the project was originally platted with each lot containing its own easements, but staff reviewed the easements and agreed they should be vacated.
The council also unanimously approved a conditional use permit for 10 outdoor dining seats at the new CAVA location on Ulysses Street NE.
Community Development Director Sheila Sellman said the property is zoned B-3, with Noodles and Company to the north and Chick-fil-A to the south. Townhomes west of Ulysses Street NE are zoned Development Flex, while Highway 65 is east of the site.
Sellman said the site plan includes a patio on the southwest corner of the building with three tables and 10 seats, as well as a decorative fence around the perimeter.
Council Member Chris Massoglia welcomed the restaurant to the neighborhood.
“I know you guys are opening two locations in Minnesota this year, so I’m really excited that Blaine is one of them,” Massoglia said. “So thank you for choosing Blaine, and happy to have you guys.”