Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 07/14/2011

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b�"'"¢SOr-7,rMinnesota Department of Transportation A o SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL 2011 INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT APPLICATION 3A. Provide a brief description of the current condition and identify problems, risks and obstacles that impede safe travel to school. Explain how the problems were identified and summarize relevant supporting documents (relevant planning documents, maps, surveys, and/or crash data) that demonstrates need. Attach at least 1 map per location that identifies routes to school and problem areas. 3. PROJECT INFORMATION b The City of Ramsey, in partnership with PACT Charter School and Anoka County Highway Department, is seeking to fill a major gap in the sidewalk network serving the PACT Charter School area. This K-12 public school is located at the intersection of East Ramsey Parkway and Ramsey Boulevard NW/CSAH 56, approximately 1/2 mile north of U.S. Highway 10/169. For the 2010/2011 school year, PACT Charter School had 446 of students in grades K-8 with another 200 students in grades 9-12.. The school moved to this site in 2004 when it opened its new building. PACT is currently working with the City's Planning Department on a significant expansion intended to be open for the 2011-2012 school year. The school is located in The COR ("Center of Ramsey"), a planned mixed -use, multi -modal area that is designed to become Ramsey's urban center. The COR is a 410-acre development that will be the location of additional retail, restaurants, service and office space, outdoor entertainment/parks, community amenities and housing. Because a significant portion of The COR is still undeveloped and the school is located at the edge of the development, the planned sidewalk and trail system has not been completed. Due to present and anticipated market realities, the vacant land at the corner of Bunker Lake Boulevard NW/CSAH 116 and Ramsey Boulevard NW/CSAH 56 may not be developed for years. Typically, the City would delay a this type of sidewalk project until development of the adjacent property occurs. However, as this missing gap is so important to the integrity of the sidewalk and trail system in the vicinity of a school, the City is seeking this SRTS grant so the construction can be expedited and a safe route to school can be provided for PACT students. Direct street access to/from the school is from East Ramsey Parkway (north) and Peridot Street NW (west). Based upon an earlier mapping analysis by PACT, students walking and bicycling to the school primarily live north of the school. The primary route to the school includes travel along Bunker Lake Boulevard NW/CSAH 116 and Ramsey Boulevard NW/CSAH 56, which is where the critical sidewalk gap exists. The sidewalk gap is located less than 700' feet from the school property, exists along portions of both Bunker Lake Blvd NW and Ramsey Blvd NW (southwest comer of the intersection), and is approximately 1,000 feet in length. The sidewalk gap exists along a large undeveloped property. In addition, without this sidewalk, students do not have a safe route between the school and the traffic controlled intersection at Ramsey Blvd/Bunker Blvd that is the primary and safest street crossing for walkers and bicyclists travelling to the school. Ramsey Boulevard NW/CSAH 56 and Bunker Lake Boulevard NW/CSAH 116, in addition to being County roads, are both designated as A Minor Arterial roadways. Ramsey Boulevard NW/CSAH 56's traffic count was 7,000 average annual daily trips (AADT) in 2009 and projected to grow to 18,000-23,000 AADT by 2030. Bunker Lake Boulevard NW/CSAH 116's traffic count was 2,800 AADT in 2009 and projected to grow to over 22,000 AADT in 2030. Both of these streets are anticipated to have traffic capacity deficiencies by 2030 and proposed to be widened to four lanes. Additionally, Bunker Lake Boulevard is being extended 3/4 mile west of CSAH 83 (one mile west of PACT) to serve the new private school (K-12 student capacity 1,400-1,500) that is being built there.