Agenda - Council Work Session - 10/12/2021

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length of TH 10 within the City of Ramsey, and areas somewhat to the north and also south to the Mississippi River. Look Back The Gateway study reviewed existing conditions and established a project purpose and need. The project need establishes the past and existing conditions feeding into the project justification. TH 10 was identified as a significant transportation connection for the northwest suburbs and to northern Minnesota. Some segments of the road are freeways while others operate as expressways. The Gateway study references to 2014 Highway 10 Access Planning study, which concluded that it would be difficult to achieve the vision of a freeway for this section of TH 10 within the next 20 years given state and federal funding. The 2014 study recommended a series of lower cost, high -benefit improvements that could be incrementally implemented. Between 2014 and 2019, incremental improvements have included a new interchange at Armstrong Blvd and the construction of frontage roads in Anoka and Ramsey toward the ultimate freeway vision. Traffic analysis shows that this segment of TH 10 ranges from 35,500 (western end) to 56,000 (eastern end) vehicles per day. Data from 2014 demonstrated the importance of TH 10 as a commuting route, with 53% of traffic in the morning peak and 48% in the evening peak passing through the corridor without stopping. As a key link to northern Minnesota, TH 10 also sees significant weekend travel during the summer and fall months. The traffic conditions for TH 10 result in congestion and operational issues. Back ups at many intersections are common. Safety analysis shows that 277 crashes occurred on TH 10 from 2015-2018, with rear end crashes most common. These are commonly associated with queuing. Significant additional congestion results when crashes occur. Notable intersections include Sunfish Lake Blvd, where the crash rate exceeds the statewide average for similar intersections. Five fatal crashes occurred on this corridor between 2008 and 2017. The corridor was also identified as an important freight, rail and transit corridor. Look to Future Without improvements, additional operational problems will continue to occur on Highway 10 and adjacent roads within Ramsey. Traffic volumes are expected to rise, delays will increase throughout the study area and queues will lengthen. Traffic projections predict all intersections along the corridor would see significant delay. The Gateway study notes that when Anoka finishes grade -separating TH 10 intersections, Sunfish Lake Blvd will be the first westbound traffic signal. Many of the crashes at Fairoak Ave in Anoka are likely to shift toward Sunfish Lake Blvd. These deficiencies, along with the importance of other multi -modal transportation along the corridor, frame the argument for why TH 10 should be reconfigured as a freeway. Progress Armstrong Boulevard was reconstructed as an interchange in 2016. This particular grade separation is notable for this feasibility study, as it is the proposed location for the northern end of a potential future Mississippi River bridge crossing from Dayton. NW Metro Mississippi River Crossings Feasibility Analysis Page 115