09-14-2005 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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MAYOR Bill Blesener COUNCIL Jim LaValle Rick Montour Barbara Allan John Keis 515 Little Canada Road, Little Canada, MN 55117 -1600 ADMINISTRATOR (651) 766 -4029 / FAX: (651) 766 -4048 Joel R. Hanson www.ci.little-canacla.mn.us MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor Blesener and Members of the City Council FROM: Joel Hanson, City Administrator DATE: September 9, 2005 RE: Resolution Requesting Traffic Study at County Road B and Rice Street Attached is a proposed resolution requesting Metro Transit to conduct a traffic study of the above referenced intersection given their proposed Park & Ride facility proposed on the northeast quadrant of that intersection. As has been previously discussed, the plan (copy attached) calls for over 400 cars to be parked at this location to catch buses going to and from both downtowns. During peak usage the majority of these cars will need to exit westbound on County Road B and then turn onto Rice Street. The intersection is already very congested given the obsolete bridge over Highway 36 as well as the number of intersecting routes from County Road B, Highway 36 ramps, and Viking Drive and Minnesota Street. Cub Foods in Maplewood is also a big traffic generator. Joe's Sporting Goods has also generated more traffic. St Jude Medical's expansion of the Woodridge site will add even more traffic. Dan Soler, Ramsey County Traffic Engineer, acknowledged these problems. He also noted that replacement of the bridge over Highway 36 is not likely to occur within the next 10 years. He further indicated that some mitigation measures may be possible, but they will be less than ideal. Another factor to consider is the possible widening of Highway 36 to increase the number of lanes of traffic. Therefore, staff is recommending two courses of action. The first is to adopt the attached resolution requesting Metro Transit to conduct a thorough traffic study of this area prior to initiating any planned improvements for that intersection. While Little Canada should remain a strong advocate for transit improvements in our area, we need to be careful that we do not exacerbate an existing problem.