06-22-2015 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES CITY COUNCIL JUNE 22, 2015 recommending the four gate system at Woodlyn and the median installation at the County Road B-2 crossing. McKenzie noted that under this scenario the estimated cost of the project is $1,406,566, which results in the estimated cost to the City at $126,566. State bond funds for this project are $1,250,000 plus a MN DOT design contribution of $30,000. McKenzie indicated that generally the railroad estimates are a little on the high side, but actual costs will not be known until the project is completed. Keis noted from the City Administrator's report that the proposed County Road B-2 medians would be 100 feet in length on the west side of the tracks and 60 feet in length on the east side. Keis asked if this would be adequate to satisfy safety requirements. McKenzie replied that it would, and noted that turning movements would be tight for the property on the east side of the tracks. He noted that the 60 feet requirement applies for commercial properties and the 100 feet for residential properties. The City Administrator reported that several factors were considered in determining where the medians should be installed. These include cost, appearance, and most importantly impact on adjacent properties. Based on this criterion, the choice was whether to install medians on County Road B-2 or on County Road B. It was determined that the least impact to adjacent properties was to install the medians on County Road B-2. The Administrator pointed out that the crossing improvements as proposed will meet FRA safety ratings. Again, if those ratings change, the City can install additional medians in the future. McKenzie noted that should the area near the South Owasso Blvd. crossing redevelop, it may be possible to add medians to this crossing in the future. The same is true of the Little Canada Road crossing. The Administrator pointed out that while the City has continued to work on the establishment of quiet zones in Little Canada, the process takes a long time. The Administrator was not optimistic that the quiet zones would be in place by the fall. McKenzie reported that the roadway work is scheduled to take place this fall, and if the railroad can get their underground work done in the fall, it may be possible for the crossing equipment to be installed over the winter. Fischer asked if there were any statistics relative to the impact that the installation of medians has on the number of drivers that drive through gates. McKenzie replied that the statistics show that the installation of medians prevent the majority of drivers from running gates. He noted that the City of Coon Rapids looked at the issue of drivers running gates and found that there was a bigger problem with this than they had realized. McKenzie also noted that there was no difference whether the median was 4