Agenda - Council - 02/23/2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION The proposed project is being submitted for federal funding under the Surface Transportation Program in the "A" Minor Arterial Reliever category for County State Aid Highway (CSAH) ONO 116 in Anoka County (see Attachment A, Figures 1 and 2). This reliever route originates in the at TH 47 in Anoka and continues as an east -west route to CSAH 83 in Ramsey (the route is referred to as CR 116 between CSAH 83 and CSAH 57 — it should be noted that the county is in the process of designating the county road section as a CSAH). The principal arterial route which it relieves is US 10/US 169, located approximately one mile to the south. The proposed project includes widening of CSAH 116, also known as Bunker Lake Boulevard, in the City of Ramsey from a two -lane roadway with shoulder widths varying from 3 to 10 feet, to a four -lane divided _ highway with continuous 10 -foot shoulders. In order to improve operations, traffic signals with turn lanes will be installed at the intersections of CSAH 116 with Magnesium Street and CR 57. The proposed project also includes construction of a pedestrian/bicycle path along the roadway. The project limits are from CR 57 to Germanium St. NW in the City of Ramsey. The communities adjacent to the CSAH 116 corridor are at the fringe of the developing area of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, with Ramsey classified as a "developing community" as described in the Metropolitan Council's Regional Development* Framework. As growth and development have occurred in this portion of Anoka County, local and regional agencies have become increasingly concerned with long -term safety, access, transportation and land use needs along the CSAH 116 corridor. The 1998 Anoka County Transportation Plan identified the need to widen most segments of CSAH 116 to four lanes in order to adequately address long -term transportation needs in the area. The need for this improvement is supported ' as recent transportation studies completed by Mn/DOT have identified a potential new Mississippi River crossing at the junction of an extended CSAH 116 and US 10. In addition, the long -term, implementation of the US 10 Interregional Corridor Plan calls for limiting access on US 10 and placing more emphasis on increasing the capacity of reliever routes, like CSAH 116, to manage traffic demand. In addition to providing capacity for planned regional growth in the corridor area, the proposed reconstruction of CSAH 116 will improve safety along the corridor. Installation of a median will improve safety and prevent deterioration of operations by limiting the number of full- access driveways and entrances onto CSAH 116. The center median will also allow Anoka County more flexibility to restrict left turns at access points and/or require consolidation of access points to obtain a full median opening. The proposed bicycle /pedestrian path along the CSAH 116 project corridor will tie into existing and planned segments of an Anoka County trail paralleling CSAH 116, as described in the Anoka County Parks and Recreations System Plan: 2020 Vision, eventually providing "east /west trail connectivity from CR 57 to CSAH 17 (Lexington Avenue)_ 1