Agenda - Economic Development Authority - 02/11/2021

Home

I. INTRODUCTION Study Purpose The County Road 116 Corridor Study was undertaken to identify and evaluate existing and future transportation and access needs, and to develop a long-term Corridor Plan that addresses those needs. The Plan provides framework for how County Road 116 will need to change over time to safely accommodate planned growth in the area. It was developed with input from Anoka County and the Cites of Anoka and Ramsey; however, the study partners will need to further develop/refine the preferred corridor concept to reflect additional public input. The study area, as shown in Figure 1, focuses on the western 5.1 miles of County Road 116 between County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 83 (Armstrong Boulevard) and CSAH 7 (7th Avenue). Study Background As growth and development have occurred over the past ten years, local and regional agencies have become increasingly concerned with long-term safety, access, transportation and land use needs along the corridor. This concern is based on both the increasing rate County Road 116 is playing in the region and growth pressures that are occurring. County Road 116 is an A -Minor Arterial that runs east -west between CSAH 17 in the City of Ham Lake and CSAH 83 (Armstrong Boulevard) in Ramsey, where it ends just east of US 169/10. The corridor primarily acts as a reliever to Trunk Highway (TH) 242 and TH 10. The facility is designated as a County State Aid Highway (CSAH) (maintained by funds from the gas tax) from CSAH 7 (7th Avenue) to CSAH 57 (Sunfish Lake Boulevard), the remaining western roadway segment is designed as a County Road (maintained by local tax dollars). For the purpose of this report, the roadway will be referred to as CR116. The 1998 Anoka County Transportation Plan identified the need to widen most segments of County Road 116 to four lanes in order to adequately address the long-term transportation needs in the area. In addition, recent transportation studies undertaken by Mn/DOT have identified a potential new river crossing at the junction of an extended County Road 116 and Trunk Highway 10. If this new river crossing is developed, traffic on the western end of County Road 116 would likely increase over projected levels. In addition, the long-term implementation of the TH 10 Interregional Corridor Plan would limit access to TH 10 and place more emphasis on supporting facilities such as CR116. Agency Involvement The Cities of Anoka and Ramsey, along with Anoka County, initiated this study. Engineering and planning staff from these agencies worked with SRF Consulting Group, Inc. to generate the land use and transportation data used in the report. In addition, the study relied on information and data produced by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office with regard to natural and cultural resources in the study area. SRF Consulting Group, Inc. - 1 - February 2004