Agenda - Council - 07/26/1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CASE # REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND WETLAND DELINEATION FOR 155RD AVENUE NW/155TH AVENUE NW By: Steven Jankowski, City Engineer Background: A system 9f collector and arterial streets was recognized as essential as far back as Ramsey's Township days in 1973, when it adopted its very first comprehensive plan. Even before this, there is evidence that the City had intended to utilize 153/155 as a collector steer by requiring Whispering Pines and Whispering Pines 2nd Addition to have the potential for eliminating direct access to 153rd Avenue N.W. This occurred back in 1972, almo~st 22 years ago. Today, only the link between 155th Avenue N.W. and Variolite Stireet N.W and 153rd Avenue N.W. and Armstrong Boulevard N.W. remains from complgting a six-mile crosstown thoroughfare following completion of the 1.8 mile segment coglstructed in 1991 when the segment between County Road #56 and Count), Road #5 was opened. Since that time, the City has initiated activity to complete the final segment of this crosstown arterial. Since September 1991, the City Council, Committees of the City Council, and-the Planning Commission have conducted 12 meetings at which this project was a major issue, if not the sole case, before the body. A list of parties interested in this project was developed over this period. Individual notices of most of these meetings were sent to partie~ on that list. Over this period of time, a considerable amount of public input was provided; on this project. Following a conceptual plan for the roadway developed by City Staff, an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) was prepared since it was anticipated thg roadway would impact at least a portion of Wetland #111P, which is a DNR protected wetland. In September 1993, the City Council, after reviewing comments by various agencies and the public, issued a finding of no significant impact. Following this, City Council ,~irected Staff to have surveying work and preliminary engineering performed to determine the exact alignment and impact on the wetland. In June 1994, the preliminary.engineering report was prepared by RLK Associates, fulfilling this Council directive. As in the past, City Staff provided a 30-day written notice of this report t_o interested parties prior to making a formal presentation to the Council tonight. The e~onsultant, having obtained detailed topographic information, detailed an alignment whieh was most consistent with that reflecting Staffs conceptual plan which was the basis for th6 EAW. This alignment, identified as Alternative A, intersects at the current intersection wii. h 153rd Avenue N.W. and Armstrong Boulevard N.W. at a right angle and turns northwar¢l using a 40 mile per hour design speed curve. This alignment resulted in impacting appr{ximately three acres of wetland. The consultant was directed to search for alternatives w~ch would minimize the above wetland impact. The consultant devised Alternative B which reduced the wetland impact to less than 0.2 of an acre. This alternative required skewirlg the angle of intersection with Armstrong Boulevard N..W. by 15° from perpendicular, ~educing the curve design speeds to 35 miles per hour and building a retaining wall to avoid all but a small portion of the' wetland A slight revision of Alternanve B resulted m the recommended ahernanve, Alternanve C, which completely avoided any impact on the wetland. This was done by moving back the beginning of the skew approach tO Armstrong Boulevard N.W. to the west for a distance of approximately 200 feet. The avoidance of any impact to the wetland is an issue which was strongly supported by the'citizens providing input on this project. Staff is pleased that we were able to meet this goal.