Agenda - Council - 05/12/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Pavement Improvements Variolite Street is a Municipal State Aid (MSA) street and must therefore be reconstructed to current MSA design standards, which are regulated by the State Aid Division of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Due to the MSA 9-ton road design requirements, the potential for heavy truck traffic on this route, and the varying subgrade soils encountered along the corridor, the pavement was designed as a Stabilized Full Depth Reclamation (SFDR) with 4-inches of bituminous pavement placed over the top. The surface elevation of Variolite Street will generally remain the same along the corridor, but the new pavement width will vary. The pavement width will remain the same north of 163rd Lane, but will generally be 6-feet narrower south of 163rd Lane to facilitate a reduced posted speed limit of 40 mph. The pavement width at 161st Avenue will be 50-feet to accommodate the pedestrian crosswalk and protected northbound left turn lane improvements, and will transition back to a width of 34-feet within several hundred feet on both sides of the intersection. Attached is a figure showing these improvements in more detail. To properly transition from the new edge of pavement to adjoining side streets and driveways, some paving work on side streets and driveways will be required, though such work is anticipated to occur within City -owned right of way and easements, not on private property. In the unlikely event work would need to extend beyond the existing right of way and easements, City Staff will contact property owners directly to discuss the proposed work. A segment of Variolite Street just north of Trott Brook roughly 100-feet long experiences high groundwater elevations and was designed with drain tile under the SFDR. Though this will help to keep the subgrade and aggregate base materials dry, this segment of Variolite Street will continue to be monitored due to the potential for pavement damage caused by saturated subgrade and base materials due to high groundwater elevations. Stormwater Improvements Stormwater is generally conveyed through existing drainage ditches along both sides of Variolite Street, with culverts extending under driveways, abutting side streets, and under Variolite Street at low points. Several culverts will be replaced with this project, though driveway culverts are not proposed to be replaced. Municipal Utility Improvements Trunk utility improvements are proposed with this project including the replacement of existing 10-inch force main trunk sanitary sewer with 21-inch gravity trunk sewer between 163 rd Avenue and 166th Avenue, and the extension of 12-inch trunk watermain from 166th Avenue to 173rd Avenue. These improvements are consistent with the 2040 City of Ramsey Comprehensive Plan in support of future expansion of City sewer and water to northern parts of the City to serve future development, and are proposed to be constructed with this project to prevent unnecessary street reconstruction costs in the future. Property Access During the design process, Staff has made every effort to keep the proposed work within the existing right of way and easements along Variolite Street, and does not anticipate construction impacts to private properties. However, due to the nature of construction there will be temporary interruptions to access of driveways and side streets that directly access Variolite Street. Sanitary sewer construction will be over 20-feet deep in areas between 163rd Avenue and 166th Avenue so Variolite Street will need to be closed to traffic during this construction. However, a temporary access road will be provided to maintain access for the four (4) properties on 165th Lane, and for the properties with direct access to Variolite Street along this stretch. These residents have no other way of accessing their properties. Due to the depth of the sewer construction there may be periods of up to several hours when direct access to properties will not be available, though all residents will be able to access their property by the end of each work day. Staff will work closely with these residents during construction to minimize access interruptions. In general, during construction access will be maintained as best as practical, and at the end of each work day all residents will have access to their properties. Access for emergency services will also be maintained throughout construction.