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IV. Future Corridor Concept Plan <br />The primary focus of the corridor study is to maintain the safe and efficient movement of people <br />through the corridor as well as to provide appropriate access to the corridor. Limiting access has <br />been demonstrated to have positive safety and traffic flow benefits. However, with the high <br />volume of traffic projected in the corridor, it should be recognized that access changes alone will <br />not provide sufficient capacity and safety benefits to address long-term traffic growth. As a <br />result, access strategies should focus not only on mitigating current safety issues but also support <br />the development of future capacity improvements that are necessary to adequately meet corridor <br />mobility needs. <br />In order to clarify the capacity and access improvements needed to address safety and mobility <br />issues in the study area, this chapter is broken into two sections. The first section identifies <br />capacity improvements and design characteristics that are needed to address existing and future <br />needs in the study area. The second section identifies a future access concept plan. <br />Capacity Improvements and Design Characteristics <br />As identified in other chapters of this report, County Road 116 is expected to experience a <br />significant increase in traffic volumes due to land use changes, growth and development in and <br />around the study area, and transportation changes such as upgrading TH 10 to a limited -access <br />freeway. These changes support the conclusion that County Road 116 should be converted to a <br />four -lane facility with turn lanes to adequately meet the future transportation demands in the <br />study area. This is supported by the 1998 Anoka County Transportation Plan, which shows <br />improvements for widening County Road 116 in most areas. Widening County Road 116 to four <br />lanes also allows for the development of separate transportation and recreational trails along the <br />corridor. These trails would provide separation of modes and reduce the potential for conflicts <br />with motorists. Figure 17 shows a typical cross-section of a four -lane facility with trails. <br />Future Access Plan <br />This section of the report identifies an access management plan for County Road 116 based on <br />its intended function and anticipated volumes. The purpose of the access plan is to provide <br />guidance to Anoka County, the Cities of Anoka and Ramsey, landowners and developers with <br />interests along the corridor. The Plan is intended as a long-term goal and should be used to help <br />guide new investments, development and planned transportation improvements. <br />Over time the access management plan will increase mobility and enhance safety along the <br />corridor, while uniformly addressing access. To increase mobility and safety, the access <br />management plan suggests the consolidation and elimination of some existing access points, <br />recommends developing frontage roads where feasible and proposes the conversion of some <br />existing access points to right-in/right-out. The timing of many of these changes will depend <br />upon development along the corridor and availability of construction and/or right-of-way funds. <br />SRF Consulting Group, Inc. - 37 - February 2004 <br />