09/08/2003 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Search

Bruggeman page 10 • A full access to Hodgson Rd. is located on the southern portion of the site, just north of the wetland and proposed pond. • A right -in, right -out access to Birch St. will be created on the north side of the project site. This access is approximately half way between Hodgson and Ware Roads, minimizing conflict as much as possible. • A full access to Ware Rd. on the east side will align with Arrowhead Drive, creating a complete 4 -way intersection. This is a positive design element as it utilizes the location of an existing access point rather than creating another one. The spacing is good, approximately 'A mile from Birch St. Right of entry should be dedicated to Anoka County along both Hodgson Rd. and Birch St. to prevent additional accesses to those roads. This should be dedicated on the final plat. Internal Streets: Within the site, the streets create a loop with three access points to external roads. Overall, the internal circulation is good. The one concern is the offset between the commercial driveway and the loop street. However, this conflict point is about 150' from Birch St. and the Birch St. access is right - in/out only. The commercial driveway utilizes the narrowest part of the wetland to minimize impacts on the wetland. The offset is not a desirable situation, but it may be the best possible given the site constraints. Ware Road Realignment: At the northeast corner of the site, Ware Rd. will be realigned to create a four -way intersection: Ware Rd. coming up from the south will align with the new Ware Rd. on the north side of Birch St. in the Sprit Hills development. Birch/Hodgson Intersection: The Birch/Hodgson intersection has been a problem for some time because of delays during peak periods. A traffic study was conducted in 2002 for the Sprit Hills commercial development. The study concluded that the southbound approach of Hodgson at Birch currently operates at an unacceptable level of service. It would continue to do so regardless of the Spirit Hills commercial development, and would get worse with the development. Traffic operations are not expected to improve until the intersection is reconstructed with turn lanes and a traffic signal, which would significantly improve the overall traffic flow in the area. The Bruggeman development would generate additional traffic. To gauge the effect, it should be compared to the existing and post -Sprit Hills peak hour movements for the intersection. The table below compares data from a preliminary analysis of the Bruggeman project by TKDA to data from the previous study.