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Mr. Chromy stated that they are aware of the properties that have been acquired and if those can <br />be useful, they will be included in the plan. He stated that the County has been reminded <br />throughout this process that these are interim improvements as the roadway is planned to become <br />a freeway. <br />Development Services Manager Gladhill noted that this study is being funded through the <br />County and MnDOT and advised that this is the opportunity for the City to provide input. <br />Planning Commissioner Bauer questioned if the study would include phasing of the most critical <br />intersection options. <br />Mr. Chromy explained that this process is meant to determine problems and solutions. He stated <br />that there are many problems with a high cost that society cannot afford to fix. He confirmed <br />that the plan would not look to solve all of the problems but instead focus on some of the main <br />problems. He advised that the phasing would be focused on smaller portions that would be <br />fundable. <br />Mr. Noris explained that the study is set up with the goal to provide a proposal of interim <br />projects that are affordable and can move forward within an intermediately short term period of <br />five to ten years. He could not wager on what the budget will be and noted that the important <br />focus would be the proposed improvements and the benefits that would be provided. He <br />explained that once that is known then the improvements can be pitched to garner the appropriate <br />funding. He explained that the intent of this study is not to remain on the shelf but to move <br />forward. <br />Planning Commissioner Brauer asked for an estimated cost for some of the intersection <br />improvements. <br />Mr. Chromy provided cost ranges for different intersection options. <br />Planning Commissioner Brauer questioned if these options were band -aids or a tourniquet. He <br />questioned if the funds should be saved to complete one larger project, which could be done right <br />rather than a series of projects that would only be small fixes and would not ultimately fix the <br />overall problem. He questioned if some of the options would be modeled through this process. <br />Mr. Chromy stated that the purpose is not to provide band -aids, which do not improve the <br />problem, but to go the path of the tourniquet. He noted that the Armstrong interchange <br />improvements are moving ahead because of the strong desire of the City. He advised that a <br />traffic operations model will be used to test the options and brainstorm the conflicts that could be <br />removed from the model to provide a breakthrough in traffic. <br />Planning Commissioner Field referenced the 1,600 accidents which occurred over the past ten <br />years and questioned if a detailed analysis was done to determine the cause, noting that rear -end <br />accidents could be due to lack of driver attentiveness or congestions and stop lights. He noted <br />that three elements would need to be considered including safety, traffic flow and emergency <br />vehicle access. <br />City Council Work Session / October 29, 2013 <br />Page 7 of 11 <br />