Agenda - Council - 09/13/2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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· Safety at intersections and various roadway segments have crash frequencies greater than either the critical crash rate or the established IRC target value. Ramsey Boulevard (CR56) has the highest crash rate in this segment. · Average speeds east of TH169 do not. meet target values. Without improvements, average travel speeds along, the entire corridor will fall below established objectives for mobility. · Current segments of the corridor, particularly west of Main Street in Anoka, do not meet Mn/DOT access guidelines. · Anticipated growth will likely lead to additional traffic signals causing further safety and mobility risks. While the City of Ramse'y is proactivety addressing these types of transportation issues, the existing roadway network supporting TH10 is limited. Currently there are minimal frontage roads on either' side of TH10 within the city requiring motorists to access the highway from private.driveways. City-to-city connections are also limited with th'e exception of CR116 as a major route to the east, and CR5 and 83' to the north. The lack of a river crossing requires motorists to travel north to Elk River or south to Anoka to access a Mississippi River bridge. Access management is a critical element to ensuring safety and mobility in'the corridor. Over half of the access points within the City 'of Ramsey along TH10 are residential' driveways or commercial entrances. The highest crash location in this area is at the intersection of Ramsey Boulevard. Improved access management would allow for improved safety, reduction in crashes and crash rates, improved traffic operations and air quality, and increased levels of service, capacity, and speed. It also provides safety and operational benefits for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit buses. IV. Alternatives Given the constraints along a large portion of TH10 within the City of Ramsey, the proposed freeway alignment would generally follow the existing TH10 alignment. This conclusion can be determined as a result of the following factors: the BNSF Railroad line limits opportunities to move the TH10 freeway alignment to the north of the railroad; and environmental constraints to the south, including The Mississippi River National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) and residential development,constrain moving the freeway alignment to the south. While this limits the number of expansion and realignment alternatives to that of the existing TH10 alignment, access management and safety becomes an issue. Improvements to the current roadway require the elimination of a significant number of existing access points to private businesses and residential properties within the study area. Future access is intended to be limited to interchange locations. Project Memo¢;~ndum 5 City of Ramsey PM for FY04 Appropriations -191-