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<br />Councilmember Riley stated there were some concerns about a new river crossing with the <br />exception of the Zanzibar alignment. <br /> <br />Mr. Morris answered there are other river crossing alignment concepts that might come across at <br />Sunfish or Ramsey Boulevards and tie into Dayton River Road and funnel down to Highway 169. <br />They also looked at locations east of Highway 169 and are interested in the impacts as the areas in <br />Champlin and Dayton are fully developed so they did not make sense. That is why there were <br />concerns, because the community impacts would be high. <br /> <br />Mr. Morris stated the key takeaway is that in a benefit/cost analysis, they are looking for a 1.0 or <br />greater, meaning the benefit to society is at least worth the cost of investing the improvement. He <br />noted they all meet that threshold, suggesting they are feasible improvements or at least merit <br />further investigation. Mr. Morris summarized that the four concepts all produced a cost/benefit <br />ratio that is feasible but before advancing the concepts further, more detailed analysis would be <br />needed. <br /> <br />Ms. Wiltgen explained that from conversations with agencies, they found a common understanding <br />of the opportunities and challenges to implement improvements considered in the analysis. <br />Conversations around next steps included identifying a leader with the next phase of analysis and <br />there was a general openness to participating in a corridor coalition which could start with casual <br />conversations between elected officials, making presentations, and provide a venue to prioritize <br />improvements and identify next steps. She stated there was a recognition that a new river crossing <br />is a long-term endeavor that could span years or even decades to move forward. In addition, any <br />improvements need to address local activities, development patterns, local roadway <br />improvements, community context, and follow land use development and regional traffic growth. <br /> <br />Ms. Wiltgen stated this analysis was a good first step but further analysis and community input <br />would be needed. She stated that next steps would include identifying local leadership, a corridor <br />coalition, and adopting a vision to determine improvements that align with local goals from a <br />mobility standpoint, whether a river crossing or system needs. Ms. Wiltgen stated they need to <br />look at it through a regional context, understand local needs, goals, and desires, and then establish <br />a prioritization plan to implement those projects within that vision. She addressed facilitating <br />public involvement to incorporate additional voices including businesses and freight, and building <br />consensus on next steps. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich asked for an update on the meeting with the City of Dayton about this <br />topic and Dayton’s position on the project. <br /> <br />Ms. Wiltgen answered they did a presentation and there is some interest to make sure it aligns with <br />local goals and development. In those conversations, there was an understanding in all <br />communities that this will be a challenging endeavor, it will be long-term, and require a lot of <br />consensus building. She thinks Dayton has a long-term plan for growth and that is the main point <br />she heard, that a river crossing needs to align with local growth. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / October 12, 2021 <br />Page 4 of 13 <br /> <br />