The Minnesota Department of Transportation plans to give Main Street in downtown Stillwater a major makeover in or around 2031, and MnDOT officials want your input.

An online survey — the Highway 95 Downtown Stillwater Visitor Survey — is designed to gauge what improvements on Minnesota 95/Main Street are most important to respondents.

Among the improvements mentioned: more parking and lots and ramps nearby; wider sidewalks; safer street crossings; better accommodations for people using wheelchairs or walkers; better traffic flow; bike lanes (on Main Street or side streets); public transit or shuttles, and more benches, planters and bike racks.

“If sidewalks were made wider what do you think is the best trade-off?” the survey asks. Among the choices to rank: relocate some Main Street parking spaces to nearby lots or streets; make the travel lanes for auto slimmer, and remove turn lanes.

The survey is anonymous, takes about five minutes to complete, and the answers will guide the project, MnDOT officials said.

The survey can be found at: hdr.jotform.com/261545464996068.

— Mary Divine

Stillwater

Bike rally offers 5- to 100-mile rides

One of the biggest gatherings of bicyclists in the St. Croix Valley will take place this month.

The Bridge the Valley Bike Rally, which starts and ends in downtown Stillwater, will be held on Aug. 9.

The event, which includes a series of rides designed for all ages and skills, is the annual fundraising event for Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club’s “Doing Good in the World” fund.

Riders can choose from 5-, 25-, 40-, 50-, 70- and 100-mile loops on paved blacktop, said Mark Fisher, the chairman of the Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club’s public image committee.

There will be fully stocked rest stops and maintenance and support on all rides; there also will be live music and food trucks. After the ride, children are invited to the Sustainable Stillwater Kids Zone for face painting, games and temporary tattoos plus beads, markers and cards to dress up their bikes.

When a rider registers, they will get access to an app called “RidewithGPS,” an interactive mapping software that verbally and visually provides direction, Fisher said.

All rides will start and finish at Chestnut Plaza, immediately west of the Lift Bridge. Entry fees are $50 for adults, $30 for kids ages 12 to 18, and free for kids 11 and under; families, up to five riders, can register for $40.

For more information, go to www.bridgethevalley.org.

— Mary Divine

Apple Valley, Eagan

Minnesota 77 ramps to close for repairs

Several ramps along Minnesota Highway 77 in Eagan and Apple Valley will be closed starting Monday for ramp repairs, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The ramp from Palomino Drive to northbound Highway 77 will close at 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 3, through late August.

The ramp from Cliff Road to northbound Highway 77 is scheduled to close Monday, Aug. 10, through late September.

The ramp from northbound Highway 77 to Diffley Road is scheduled to close Monday, Aug. 17, through mid-September.

For more information or to sign up for email updates, visit the project webpage at mndot.gov/metro/projects/hwy77applevalley-richfield. Project-related questions or concerns can be directed to the project hotline at 952-679-3931 or to info@hwy77construction.com. For real-time travel information anywhere in Minnesota, visit www.511mn.org.

— Kristi Miller

Minneapolis

SNL’s Che to record special at First Ave.

“Saturday Night Live” star Michael Che will perform four shows on Aug. 28 and 29 at First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. He’s recording them for his next Netflix special.

The “Weekend Update” co-anchor announced the gigs via his Instagram account on Wednesday and all four quickly sold out.

Che, 43, seems to have a thing for Minneapolis. Last month, he did an evening of stand-up comedy at Sisyphus Brewing with little publicity and sold out the venue almost instantly. In 2022, he unexpectedly showed up to an open mic night at the brewery when he was in Minnesota for an event at Winona State University.

A New York native, Che entered the stand-up comedy world in 2009. Three years later, he appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and was named one of “10 Comics to Watch” by Variety. He joined “SNL” as a writer that same year and was promoted to “Weekend Update” co-anchor in 2014.

From 2017 to 2022, Che also served as the show’s co-head writer along with fellow “Weekend Update” host Colin Jost.

Che has already done two comedy specials for Netflix, 2016’s “Michael Che Matters” and “Michael Che: Shame the Devil” in 2021.

— Ross Raihala