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Ramsey County plans to move forward with a new Rice Street bridge at I-694, with <br />construction beginning in late 2018 if three involved cities grant consent this winter. <br />The final proposed design with three roundabouts is the cheapest, would have the least <br />impact on neighboring properties and the best traffic flow, said Beth Engum, county project <br />manager, at a Vadnais Heights City Council public hearing Dec. 19. <br />The design includes three roundabouts at intersections near the main bridge. There would <br />also be two additional bridges that would serve as ramps. One roundabout would be <br />located south of I-694 and connect Lake Owasso Boulevard and Country Drive. One would <br />be located north of I-694 and include all on- and off-ramps for I-694. Another would <br />connect County Road E and Vadnais Boulevard. <br />The county considered more than 20 interchange designs before settling on the design, <br />Engum said. It was the cheapest of four top alternatives at $27.1 million for construction <br />and right of way acquisition, and $4 million will be added to the bill for design and <br />construction engineering. The second-cheapest option came in at $31 million just for <br />construction and right of way acquisition. <br />City Councilwoman Heidi Gunderson questioned why roundabouts are the best alternative. <br />Engum said the roundabouts reduce the cost of the bridge because the structure would <br />have to be quite wide otherwise to accommodate needed turn lanes. A bridge with <br />interchanges like the one at Rice Street and Highway 36 would have had to accommodate <br />seven lanes. <br />A standard interchange with signals similar to what is there now would also be wide, and <br />would cost about $4 million more than the proposed three-roundabout design. <br />Roundabouts also have a lower maintenance cost in the long run. <br />Cost is not the only reason for roundabouts, Engum added. Without changing the four <br />closely spaced signals the bridge has now, traffic flow would not be projected to improve. <br />And traffic is expected to grow by 33 percent by 2040, she noted. <br />Having three roundabouts instead of four also means the proposed option will require the <br />Page 2 of 52018 may bring new Rice Street bridge | News | presspubs.com <br />1/5/2018http://www.presspubs.com/vadnais/news/article_08315d44-f0b4-11e7-b0eb-7b7d75f5f5b4....