11/03/2008 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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b. Progress: Mn /DOT is assembling current data and are updating traffic forecasts. Recommendations for "next steps" will be discussed at our September Board meeting. 4. ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP a. PUBLIC: Current Membership includes Anoka County, Blaine, Circle Pines, Lexington, Minneapolis, Mounds View, New Brighton and Ramsey County. b. COMMUNITY: Current participating partners include the Twin Cites North Chamber of Commerce, Mn /DOT and Metro Transit. BACKGROUND The NM I -35W Corridor Coalition was established in December 1996 with the adoption of the enabling Joint Powers Agreement by the founding member cities. The founding members formed the Coalition specifically to jointly address intensifying concerns about congestion in the I -35W Corridor north of TH 36, the impacts that congestion was having on the quality of life in the member communities and the adverse impacts congestion would have on pending development and redevelopment projects in the Corridor. Recognizing that major investments required for expansion of I -35W to address capacity constraints that were causing the congestion were not programmed in the foreseeable future, the Coalition embarked on a two pronged strategy. The first strategy focused on bringing the needs for improvements to the attention of Mn /DOT and the Metropolitan Council to ensure that investments would be scheduled in future plans. The second strategy focused on determining the improvements needed to balance the need for regional mobility and local access required to support the pending economic growth ventures. Progress on the first strategy has been slow. While numerous studies have demonstrated the significant need for expansion of capacity on I -35W, programming of the major investments has not progressed because the "2030 PLAN" is fiscally constrained and funding for expansion of capacity is a lower priority than safety, system preservation and system management categories of work. Consequently, more emphasis has been placed on a new two -part strategy. Given that major reconstruction is years in the future, the Coalition's current emphasis is on 1) development and funding of "congestion mitigation" projects that will provide early relief through lower cost small area projects, and, 2) preparing a design plan for the ultimate reconstruction so that interim investments will fit the final layout and investments will not be wasted. These strategies work in parallel and provide the opportunity to make progress in a difficult funding environment. U: \I- 35W\2006 -2007 ACTION PLAN\August 2008 Progress Report.doc 1000 Westgate Drive, Suite #252, St. Paul, MN 55114 TEL (651) 203 -7241 FAX (651) 290 -2266 • • •