Agenda - Council Work Session - 09/29/2009

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), CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Topic Report: Armstrong Boulevard and Highway 10 Interchange By: Tim Himmer, City Engineer Background: Through the AUAR process for the Town Center development certain regional transportation improvements were identified for the surrounding roadways. In addition to these improvements the Highway 10 Access Management Study identifies grade separated interchanges at each of the current signal locations along Highway 10 in conjunction with an upgrade to freeway standards. To date Sunfish Lake Boulevard and Ramsey Boulevard have been reconstructed at the Highway ..10 intersections for improved access and capacity. The decision was made by Council to delay similar temporary improvements to Armstrong Boulevard so that a grade separated interchange could be considered and investigated. Through a revision to the Joint Powers Agreement with Anoka County, it was agreed that the City and County would split the costs of preliminary design and environmental assessment for such an interchange. Preliminary single point access interchange designs for Sunfish Lake Boulevard and Ramsey Boulevard were approved by Council on April 22, 2008. City staff and Anoka County have recently completed a review of proposals received in response to an RFP distributed by the County. There are many design options that will be developed and considered relative to this process, and there has been much discussion on whether any planned interchange at Armstrong Boulevard should account for a future Mississippi River crossing. While the proposed Armstrong interchange is a standalone project, future improvements and cumulative impacts must be considered in its design development. When a future Mississippi crossing is included in the evaluation this complicates the matter considerably as projected traffic volumes through this corridor make it extremely difficult to provide both local access and system to system access (future 169 to highway 10) in one location. Flexibility in design of the Armstrong interchange currently being developed must be considered as certain elements (Armstrong to westbound TH 10, and eastbound TH 10 to Armstrong ramps) may be "throw-away" improvements. Due to the uncertainty of the future river crossing a standalone Armstrong interchange could be developed now, with the entire improvement. being considered for reconfiguration when a future river crossing becomes a reality. Currently the main goals of the City for this interchange at Armstrong Boulevard are local access and public safety, as it would also include grade separation over the railroad tracks. Action Statement: Staff is looking for clear direction on the issues Council feels are most important related to the design development of the Armstrong Boulevard interchange.