12-16-2025 City Council Meeting Packet

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PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: MnDOT has evaluated the City Council request and has agreed to advance the project that will include the South Frontage Road extension to Keats Avenue as revised to include the Option 3 Concept Plan and Draft Commitments, Requirements and Performance measures, for maintaining the right-turn-only access from eastbound TH 36 to southbound Keats Avenue. The following summarizes the proposed Project revisions. ·The existing TH 36 right-turn/deceleration lane must be extended to a minimum length of 500-feet. This extension will be a local cost to be paid by Lake Elmo. MnDOT will continue cost participation in the South Frontage Road. ·There will be four (4) ongoing monitoring of safety and operational performance measures associated with the Keats Avenue exit: o Turn volumes exceed right-turn lane capacity o Queueing on TH 36 o Crashes at TH 36/Keats Avenue o Incidents of wrong-way driving from Keats Avenue onto TH 36 ·If any of the performance measures are met, the City will remove the eastbound TH 36 right- turn/deceleration lane at Keats Avenue and modify the City street frontage road connection to southbound Keats Avenue at City cost, or reimburse MnDOT for the costs. ·Maintenance. The City of Lake Elmo will be responsible for maintenance including snow plowing of the Keats Avenue one-way exit and the new frontage road. MnDOT will perform maintenance of TH 36 including snow plowing operations. ·MnDOT cautions that the Keats Avenue access may create wayfinding challenges with potential unintended consequences. ·All commitments and performance measures outlined above will be documented in the cooperative construction agreement between MnDOT and the City of Lake Elmo. The County expressed determination to maintain the project construction start of June 2026. The intersection redesign was therefore constrained to remain within the right-of-way acquisition areas determined by the original design with the acquisition already in progress. The design was further constrained to avoid redesign of the adjacent stormwater basin. ·The South Frontage Road design includes two separate tight curves near Keats Avenue, meeting 20 MPH design speeds. Ideally, these curves would meet a minimum 30 MPH design speed on a State Aid designated route. Staff is not overly concerned with the tight curves due to the proximity of the curves to a “stop” condition. Proper marking and lighting at the curves are recommended to provide enhanced warning of the speed reductions. ·The South Frontage Road intersection with Keats Avenue is offset by 165 feet. MnDOT indicated the minimum offset would typically be 200 feet, or mid-way between TH 36 and 59th Street (290 feet). By maintaining free-flowing traffic along Keats Avenue the limited offset should not be problematic. Staff recommends a review and possible increased TH 36 right-turn/deceleration lane to minimize potential queuing on TH 36. FISCAL IMPACT: The anticipated cost participation by the City of Lake Elmo has not been determined in detail. The County has indicated that the City’s costs will be based on Washington County’s Cost Participation Policy after applying all applicable Federal and State Grant Funds. The attached resolution of support indicates that Washington County will present the City with a Cooperative Agreement for the cost sharing of the improvement prior to advertising the Project for contractor bids. The City’s Capital Improvement Plan shows a budget amount of $2,500,000 in 2026 and $2,500,000 in 2027. At the November 2025 workshop the County estimated that the City cost share will be similar for either design alternative, as the added scope of the South Frontage Road was planned to be paid by MnDOT. The Option 3 Concept Plan includes additional City costs to cover the TH 36 eastbound right- turn/deceleration lane extension as outlined in the draft commitments and requirements. The City may incur additional costs in the future to remove the TH 36 eastbound right-turn/deceleration lane at Keats Avenue and to modify the City street frontage road connection to southbound Keats Avenue, should any of the