01-08-2020 Special Meeting Packet (Improvement Hearings)

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Islands The two islands located at the intersections with Centerville Road and Desoto Avenue were installed as part of the original development. They were added for aesthetic purposes according to City Council minutes from 1997. Maintenance of the islands is the responsibility of the Pitrina Park Association and they recently upgraded the monuments signs located within each of the islands. The islands have proven difficult to perform plowing operations around and extra time needs to be taken to clean up around each island after the large plow truck passes through. The islands and the trees located within them have also been hit by vehicles in the past, including a Ramsey County squad car this past year during a vehicle pursuit. Because of the reasons stated above staff is proposing to eliminate the islands as part of the project. Currently, the street widens at each island to provide room for vehicles to get around the inlands. As part of the elimination the street would be narrowed up at each intersection to match the rest of the street width along Allen. The narrower entrances should act as a calming measure to keep vehicles from taking turns too fast. The Desoto intersection is a three-way stop so vehicles are already slowing down and vehicles turning onto Allen from Centerville are slowing down to turn and vehicles approaching Centerville have to stop so they are moving slowly as well. Traffic calming measures are typically necessary in the middle of long stretches of straight road to keep cars from gaining too much speed. Intersections are already slowing vehicles down due to stop signs and turning movements. Staff is proposing to move the monument signs to the north boulevard at each intersection so that they can still be a part of the area after the investment was made by the association to upgrade them. Because the road is proposed to be narrowed at Centerville Road, there should be room to fit the monument sign in the boulevard on the north side. There is a slide in the presentation showing this configuration. The elimination of the islands will create safer intersections that are easier to maintain in the winter.