Agenda Packets - 2002/06/24 - Laserfiche WebLink

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5 COUNTY ROAD 10 RECONSTRUCTION AND REVITALIZATION PLAN A second neighborhood meeting was held on Monday, June 17th at the Community Center. Approximately 30 people were in attendance, many of whom own property that will be directly affected by this plan. There was some positive reaction to the plan: however, there were more negative comments and reactions than the previous meeting in April. Staff will be providing a report and presenting it to Council at the July 1st Work Session. A more detailed update on the County Road 10 Plan will be provided in the Community Development Quarterly Report. TRAFFIC SIGNAL AND INTERSECTION REHABILITATION PROGRAM The Public Works Director recently met with the Ramsey County Traffic Engineer, Dan Soler to discuss several City issues that required County involvement for resolution. Topics discussed included safety issues in areas adjacent to schools, current County projects, speed limits and speed studies, and traffic signal operations including timing, phasing, and lane geometrics. With regard to traffic signals, the focus was on the signals along the County Road 10 corridor. The history of these signals was discussed. On September 11, 2000, the City passed a resolution that included several formal requests to the County. These includes things such as: request for speed limit reduction, installation of additional speed limit signs, the marking and signing of pedestrian walkways, and walk time length. The County Engineer indicated that these issues had been addressed. Staff indicated that there are currently numerous issues related to traffic signal operations along County Road 10 and suggested that a signal optimization study be done. Recommendations from such a study most likely would include capital expenditures to correct the issues. A simple timing adjustment will not address all of the operational and safety problems. The County indicated that they have a Capital Improvement Program that the City of Mounds View, for whatever reasons, has not been a part of. The consensus between City staff and the County was that a traffic signal and intersection rehabilitation program be developed. The first step in implementing this program will be to finalize the County Road 10 Reconstruction and Revitalization Plan. This plan will be the guiding force and any traffic signal and intersection rehabilitation program that may be developed must be consistent with it. The next step will be to perform a study of either each or only selected intersections to define what improvements need to occur at each intersection. In most cases, the signals will be removed and replaced with new signals that have LED lights, emergency vehicle preemption (EVP) devices that allow emergency vehicles to safely access these intersections, new pedestrian crossing lights, and other upgraded safety features. The timing of the lights will be reviewed and adjusted to better match current traffic patterns. Additional traffic lanes, including left and right turn lanes, would be added (and green left arrow lamps to accompany them). If warranted, a split “green phase” for the side streets may be added. Pedestrian features such as ramps that meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, better defined cross walks, and safe pedestrian zones at the corners of the intersection and in the medians may also be added. Once the scope of improvements is determined for each intersection, a cost estimate will be determined. Based on the Turn Back Agreement entered into with Mn/DOT, the County has indicated that they will have adequate funds to finance most of the improvements. However, the County has a cost participation policy that will require the City to contribute funds for intersections with local streets. The City funding could be derived from several sources including: Municipal State Aid Funds, assessments, State and Federal Grants, and general funds. With the project scope and funding determined, each intersection will be prioritized and added to the City’s and the County’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The CIP is a “planning tool” used forecast financial projections and public improvements to be implemented. The CIP is an