06-25-08 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL JUNE 25, 2008 County Road B-2. Tolaas estimated that next month the County will put out an RFP for the environmental assessment and preliminary engineering work for the intersection. He felt that once the project scope is defined, it will be easier to get the financial commitment for the project. Tolaas indicated that when the 694/Rice Street bridge is reconstructed, it will likely be with apar-clo design (21oop ramp design) rather than a full cloverleaf (41oop ramp design). Tolaas reported that he is not sure what will work for the 36/Rice Street bridge, which is now the standard diamond design. Tolaas reported that as part of the redesign planning process, the TAC recognized that it had to develop a plan that worked within the existing footprint of Rice Street while addressing future traffic needs and minimizing property impacts. Tolaas noted that the entire stretch of Rice Street being studied spans eight miles, crosses through several cities and five watershed districts. Costs of the entire project are estimated at between $30 million and $40 million. Tolaas reported that the next step is to present the proposed redesign to the public. Two public meetings are planned to be held in August and September. Once public comments have been received, the draft plan will be presented to the impacted cities for adoption. Tolaas next reviewed in detail several diagrams showing various sheet section configurations. He noted that currently Rice Street consists of a 52-foot street section in Little Canada. I-Ie noted that in the late 1990's the street configuration was changed from 4 lanes to 3 lanes due to the numerous crashes that were occurring on Rice Street since there were no turning lanes. Since that change was made, traffic runs more efficiently, but the street is more congested. Tolaas reported that Rice Street carries over 20,000 vehicles per day on the majority of the street. Streets with traffic volumes over 15,000 per day should have two lanes in each direction. Tolaas reported that the County has rights-of--way for Rice Street that range from 66 feet in width to 99 feet. The majority of the right-of--way width through Little Canada is 66 feet. Tolaas reviewed each of the street section diagrams as well as the corresponding widths for sidewalk and path segments in detail. Based on analysis of the various street sections, existing conditions and impact to adjacent properties, the TAC is recommending a 56' street section with includes 18-foot center turn lane, two 12-foot driving lanes, two 5-foot shoulders, and two 24-inch gutters with a 6-foot boulevard and a 6-foot walkway on both sides of the street through Little Canada. At major intersection points, the street section will change replacing the 18-foot center turn lane with a 4-foot raised median, 2