Agenda - Planning Commission - 06/23/2022

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Josh Nyquist,Executive Director of Building Operations May 26,2022 PACT Charter School I Traffic Impact Study Page 3 Due to limited camera availability (cameras committed to other areas previous to April 13, 2022), and the time to set the cameras, some study intersections did have cameras set later on Wednesday April 13, 2022. Therefore, the counts applied in the weekday traffic analysis were the counts collected on Thursday April 14,2022. We have compared these PACT School Thursday April 14, 2022 counts to previous counts collected for the Trottbrook Crossing EAW at many of the same intersections and find they compare generally very favorably. From this comparison we conclude the PACT School TIS Thursday April 14, 2022 traffic counts reasonably represent an existing typical study area weekday. Roadway Characteristics A field assessment was completed to identify various roadway characteristics within the study area transportation system, such as functional classification, general configuration, and posted speed limit. A summary of these roadway characteristics is shown in Table 1. Note that these are general characteristics and that there are some deviations within portions of roadway segments. Table 1. Existing Study Area Roadway Characteristics Roadway Functional Classification(1) General Configuration Posted Speed Limit(mph) Armstrong Boulevard Minor Arterial Two-lane undivided 55 Ramsey Boulevard Minor Arterial Two-lane undivided 50 Variolite Street Major Collector Two-lane undivided 50 161st Avenue Local Street Two-lane undivided 30 (1) Functional Classification based on the City of Ramsey 2040 Transportation Plan Update. The segment of 161 st Avenue between Armstrong Boulevard and Variolite Street has been identified to be improved/reconstructed as part of the City of Ramsey Capital Improvements Plan for year 2024. Design of this future 161 st Avenue improvement/reconstruction is currently under consideration. It has been suggested that it may be possible to reschedule this 161 st Avenue improvement and/or reconstruction to coincide with the proposed PACT Charter School project. Study area existing geometrics, traffic control, and traffic volumes are shown in Figures 2A and 2B. Existing Intersection Traffic Operations/Capacity Analysis An existing intersection traffic operations/capacity analysis was completed to establish baseline conditions to which future traffic operations can be compared. The capacity analysis was completed for the a.m. and p.m. peak hours at the study intersections using the Synchro/SimTraffic computer traffic simulation model. Capacity analysis results identify a Level of Service (LOS) which indicates the quality of traffic flow through an intersection. Intersections are given a ranking from LOS A through LOS F. The LOS results are based on average delay per vehicle,which correspond to the delay threshold values shown in Table 2. LOS A indicates the best traffic operation, with vehicles experiencing minimal delays. LOS F indicates an intersection where demand exceeds capacity, or a breakdown of traffic flow. Overall intersection LOS A through D are generally considered acceptable by drivers in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.