Agenda - Council Work Session - 02/10/2015

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Fourth, Anoka County has indicated that it has secured commitments from the Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) for at least one additional transit access grant along TH 10 in the City of Ramsey. An existing $10 million transit access grant is part of the funding package for the Armstrong Interchange project to be constructed this year. The County has proposed using the additional transit access dollars to create railroad underpasses under the BNSF mainline in Ramsey at either Sunfish Blvd (CR 57) or the Ramsey Blvd (CR 56). It is possible to create underpasses at these locations because of the distance between the rail corridor and the highway. CTIB funding for an underpass could be available as early as 2016. As the City's preferred priority, the Ramsey Blvd improvement would be significantly easier and less expensive to build and would support additional development in the COR and along the south side of TH 10. Building the underpass however and not simultaneously building the interchange would make both the underpass and the interchange more expensive and would double the inconvenience and disruption to the public. Finally, the success of the Armstrong interchange improvement effort has created awareness, momentum, and an effective community support network all of which is poised to be focused now on Ramsey Blvd. As a recipient of a federal TIGER grant, TH 10 has established it's eligibility for federal funding assistance. The same is true at the state level as a result of Armstrong's success in attracting both a MnDOT Corridor Investment Management Strategy grant and a legislatively guided and funded Local Road Improvement grant. The attendance at the City's Armstrong appreciation event also demonstrated a very high level of awareness of the issues affecting the performance of TH 10 in Ramsey and the existence of a strong, influential base of community support for additional efforts to make improvements in the corridor. In and of themselves however these opportunities cannot be expected to independently generate similar successes in the future unless they are taken advantage of in a strategic and intentional way. To do so, I would propose the following steps. 1) Comprehensive information resources should be developed supporting the need and justification for the improvement of the Ramsey Blvd rail crossing and TH 10 interchange. The resources would underscore the issues of safety, congestion, and economic development as well as the broader benefit to the performance of the overall corridor. Community support groups which were involved in the Armstrong effort would be encouraged to use these resources to build awareness and support for Ramsey Blvd improvements. 2) Legislation would be introduced requesting a $5 million appropriation for the Ramsey Blvd interchange improvement. This legislation would mirror legislation introduced for Armstrong during the 2014 session and would provide a vehicle for communicating legislative support for the project. In the end, as with Armstrong, transportation funding legislation rarely includes specific projects but the process can be very helpful in creating an environment where funding from a variety of possible sources can be discussed and hopefully brought to the table. The development and implementation of this legislative strategy could also provide a context for supporting