Minutes - Council Work Session - 10/12/2021

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Ms. Wiltgen stated they wanted to look at previous studies, such as the 2002 Origin Destination Study and 2004 Scoping Decision document that looked at a river crossing and location. Since then, there has been population growth and changes in the system so they wanted to update what has been learned and reengage cities and counties on the processes. Ms. Wiltgen reviewed goals and expectations of the study, noting it was a fact-finding investigation, and technical analysis to look at mobility and river crossing capacity needs in the region. This is the first of several steps if any of the improvements are to move forward and are feasible for further consideration. She explained that because they are not in a decision-making context, it does not include recommendations and any future phases, should improvements be warranted to consider further, it would require a greater analysis, including a technical and safety analysis, as well as environmental review and more community engagement. Ms. Wiltgen reviewed a list of participating agencies, counties and cities in the study. Paul Morris, SRF Consulting, reiterated that this was a fact- finding investigation to determine the issues and challenges which would guide solutions. He reviewed the context analysis, origin- destination analysis, and a congestion analysis. Mr. Morris stated with the context analysis they reviewed all of the City Comprehensive Plans and Transportation Plans in the area to understand what the different cities were envisioning with their growth over the next 20 years. There are a lot of growth projected in these areas on both sides of the river, with 30% more population and 20% more jobs. This is anticipated to put a lot more pressure on the highway system. Mr. Morris agreed with Ms. Wiltgen that a lot of the highways surrounding the study area either have had improvements or are expected to in the coming years, including I-94, Highway 101, Highway 610, and Highway 10. Mr. Morris explained there is going to be a need to make improvements on local roads as well to help move the traffic. He continued that a lot of commercial and retail growth and on the employment side, are clustered around the highway corridors. This makes sense because that’s where the people and businesses are, which has pros and cons when it comes to planning for transportation. On the plus side, the facilities are there and can serve the freight needs of the developments and on the downside, it puts a lot more pressure on the roadway system. This is why the analysis looked 20 years out. Mr. Morris explained the Origin Destination Analysis, looked at where trips are coming from, where they are going, how are they getting there, and impact on the roadways. They used modern technology including GPS information to understand the movements of trips through the study area. Some of the key findings were that Highway 610 carries the most traffic, Highway 101 sees about one-half of that, and Highway 169 serves a smaller amount of traffic when compared to the other two. In this analysis, they wanted to understand which communities rely on the current river crossings. Mr. Morris stated the analysis found that Highway 101 serves regional trips which are longer, with people from outstate coming to the Metro area. Highway 610 showed patterns of commuter type trips because there are a lot of employment and population on both the Anoka County and Hennepin County side. With Highway 169 there were shorter trips, which may be used for shopping or other activities. Another finding looked at Fridays before summer holidays and found the Highway 101 crossing had four times as many trips and much longer trips which leads to congestion during these times. The analysis looked at rush hour times and how balanced the City Council Work Session / October 12, 2021 Page 2 of 13