Minutes - Council Work Session - 04/12/2016

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crashes. He advised that there was some concern from the strip mall owner. He noted that residents were also notified but no comments were received. Councilmember Riley asked if this area had been considered for improvements with the intent of moving more traffic through. Mr. Carey stated that at this point there is not a lot being done as the roadway is looked at as a preservation corridor. He advised that they will be reviewing the railroad crossing at Ferry Street to determine what can be done to create a grade separation crossing. He noted that there are limited funds to complete studies and advised that there are other roadways in higher need of expansion and therefore Highway 47 is a lower priority. City Administrator Ulrich asked the level at which the intersection of Highway 47 and Bunker Lake Boulevard is functioning. Mr. Carey stated that he is not aware of the rating but does know that the rating fails during peak hours. Mayor Strommen stated that her concern is with the plan for Highway 47 and was dismayed to hear that there is no plan at this time. She stated that with the growth that has occurred in the north metro the roadways do not support that growth. She stated that once the traffic hits the intersection of Highway 47 and 142"d Avenue the traffic has already sat on Highway 10, then on Ferry Street, and crawled through the intersection at Bunker. She stated after that intersection is the first opportunity people have had to actually move and that is a contributing factor in the accidents at that location. She stated that while the medians are helpful in terms of safety, this median will prevent people from accessing businesses in the strip mall. She stated that this road is carrying too much traffic for what it was designed for and therefore this is a band -aide on a bigger problem. Councilmember Kuzma stated that Highway 47 is a feeder into Highway 10, which is a huge problem for this area. Councilmember Johns stated that she is pleased to hear that there are plans for a grade separation at the railroad crossing on Ferry Street. She asked if there is anything that can be done with the timing of the lights, which could help some of the congestion. Mr. Carey stated that he will pass on that information to the signal management team as they have been watching that intersection and are aware of the backups that occur. Councilmember LeTourneau asked if there is any possibility that the City could assist in finding funding to conduct a study for Highway 47, as it had been said that funding was not available for a study on that roadway. Paul Young, MnDOT, stated that while he would love to say that MnDOT could meet the City half way, he would be unable to do so. He explained that studies have to be done out of the non - City Council Work Session / April 12, 2016 Page 2 of 6