Agenda - Council - 04/28/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

April 23, 2020 Elaine L. Chao U.S. Depai talent of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave SE Washington, DC 20590 RE: Letter of Support for the 2020 BUILD Discretionary Grant: Highway 169/ County Highway 4 Interchange Project (Zimmerman, MN) Dear Ms. Chao, I am writing in support of Sherburne County's application for funding through the United States Department of Transportation's Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant. The City of Ramsey is a supporter of investments made to the corridors of US Highway 10 and US Highway 169 and is a member of the Greater Minnesota Gateway, a coalition of local communities advancing improvements not only to Highway 10/169 in the cities of Ramsey and Anoka, but also to the broader impacts of these corridors as the serve areas north. If awarded, the funding would be used to complete a long -planned interchange at U.S. Highway 169 and County Highway 4 in the City of Zimmerman, Minnesota. This project addresses critical safety concerns and will provide crucial capacity to support increasing traffic volumes on U.S. Highway 169. The project is regionally significant as it will serve several rural communities in greater Central Minnesota and enhances access to the metropolitan region. The project is located in a rural community and will provide a critical linkage to the Twin Cities economic center. U.S. Highway 169 is a vital north -south arterial route in central Minnesota and serves an important role in supporting commuters, freight movement, and recreational travel. Travel from 76 of the 87 counties in Minnesota passes through the project area. Currently, U.S. Highway 169 in the City of Zimmerman is a four -lane divided highway with at - grade roadway and driveway intersections, traffic signals at major intersections, and limited frontage and backage road systems. The Minnesota Depaitaient of Transportation (MnDOT) has secured funding to reconstruct U.S. Highway 169 to a freeway system. The County is seeking BUILD funds to complete the vision for the U.S. Highway 169 corridor and address critical safety issues. The U.S. Highway 169/County Highway 4 intersection will represent the last remaining signalized intersection within a 75-mile corridor of U.S. Highway 169 between Interstate 94 and Mille Lacs County following completion of the MnDOT's Highway 169 Reconstruction Project. The current traffic signal control at the Highway 169/County Highway 4 is ranked 2nd worst in safety within Central Minnesota (MnDOT District 3). Reconstruction of this intersection is critical to eliminate significant safety issues, expand capacity, and support the freight and tourism industries that rely on this corridor. BUILD grant funds will be used to construct the Highway 169/County Highway 4 interchange to address critical safety and operational issues, as well as accommodate planned long-term growth and connect rural communities to economic opportunities in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. The City Council of the City of Ramsey approves of this support the Sherburne County's application for the funding of the Highway 169/ County Highway 4 Project. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our City Administrator, Kurt Ulrich, at 763-433-9845 or kulrich@citvoframsev.com.