County Highway 13 (Ideal Avenue) Phase 2 Pavement and Safety Improvement Project
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County Highway 13 (Ideal Avenue) Phase 2 Pavement and Safety Improvement Project Public Questions/Responses and Comments Date: July 10, 2020 Resident Questions from Survey Q1) Is there any way the roundabout at 40th Street could be pushed to the west so the impact on private property is less? A1) In the time since the informational flyer has been mail, and the design concepts have been posted on the project website, the design team has continued to modify the proposed roundabout at Lake Jane Trail / 40th Street to further reduce impacts to the existing residential properties on the east side of Ideal Avenue. Q2) I would lose a row of trees, don’t see the need for a turn lane unless everything moved west. A2) Turn lanes are being proposed as a safety and operational improvement to Ideal Avenue. Turn lanes are typically installed for streets that serve more than 10 residential homes due to the volume of turning traffic. Turn lanes reduce the risk of rear-end crashes and also prevent unsafe passing of slowing or turning vehicles. Q3) Is it necessary at this time to put in a roundabout at 36th Street? I realize it is intended to accommodate the new housing development but it could be done later, much later when the development occurs and then make the developers pay for that. A3) The proposed improvements are taking into account the increased traffic from the surrounding area over the next 20-years. The Cities of both Lake Elmo and Oakdale will have a cost participation in these proposed improvements. When the new housing development is brought forth to the City of Oakdale, there will be an agreement between the developer and the city that outlines numerous items, including costs and dedication of right-of-way (property) for improvements to Ideal Avenue. Q4) Will the turn lane concept not be lit? A4) It is not Washington County standard practice to add lights to all intersections with turn lanes, but either of the cities may request intersections to be lit with the turn lane concept. County Highway 13 (Ideal Avenue) Phase 2 Page 2 Q5) I do not like roundabouts – if the speed is reduced to 40 mph, turn lanes will work without impeding through traffic. 50 mph speed is too fast and should be reduced to 40 or 35 mph. A5) To reduce impacts to private property and to help encourage reduced travel speeds, the Design Speed was reduced to 40 mph, but this does not guarantee that the posted speed limit will be reduced at the completion of the proposed project. Speed limits are determined by Minnesota state laws and the State Commissioner of Transportation, not by city or county officials. See Open House Boards FAQ for additional information. Q6) Have studies looked at marked crossings for roundabouts? Should there be no marking either way? Is this study possibly because pedestrians feel invincible and just cross thinking the markings will keep them safe? Should we add pedestrian orange flags and flag holders on both sides like they do in some parts of St. Paul? I think a driver coming around a roundabout is less likely to see a pedestrian than a driver making a 90-degree turn Have you considered a tunnel under or bridge over the road? Can you also add a crosswalk to 38th Street? A6) At intersections, pedestrians who are lawfully crossing the roadway have the right-of- way regardless of if crosswalk markings are present. Marked crosswalks are typically used at roundabouts because the crossings are located approximately one car length from the intersection itself, and thus are legally considered a midblock crossing. Crosswalk markings do not themselves provide a safety benefit, but with just one approach lane from each direction the markings do not worsen safety and they do provide a legal benefit. Crosswalk markings can make pedestrian safety much worse when used at uncontrolled crossings across numerous lanes, and especially when there is no median. Orange flags have been tried as a way to improve pedestrian visibility and reduce pedestrian delays in those situations. However, since roundabout crosswalks are only one lane wide and a median refuge is provided, pedestrians can usually complete the crossing with little or no waiting before another vehicle approaches. This is the safest type of gap, when there’s no need to rely on the behavior of any driver. Bridges and tunnels are not cost-feasible for this project, and would require significant city cost participation. Because the 38th Street intersection will involve four lanes to cross, crosswalk markings would be expected to worsen pedestrian safety and therefore will not be installed. Q7) I am not sure about speed being slower in roundabouts? Based on my interactions with other roundabouts already in the area, I feel like people don’t even have to slow down, they just keep going at a pretty fast clip, versus having to slow down to make an actual 90 degree turn with turn lanes. A7) Roundabouts provide physical control of speeds because all drivers must slow down to approximately 25 mph in order to enter the roundabout without losing control of the vehicle. Right turns at a roundabout, though still constrained to this same entry speed, may in fact be faster than right turns at a standard intersection since the right-turning radius at a roundabout is larger. County Highway 13 (Ideal Avenue) Phase 2 Page 3 Q8) Is this project being coordinated with new housing development on 40th Street? A8) Yes, the proposed project is being coordinated with the proposed new development and is taking into account the anticipated increase in traffic from the surrounding area over the next 20-years. Q9) What is the logic in realigning 40th Street to Lake Jane Trail? A9) The realignment of 40th Street to Lake Jane Trail eliminates overlapping left turn movements (northbound left-turn to 40th Street interferes with southbound left-turn to Lake Jane Trail). Eliminating this overlap allows for the left turn hazards to be mitigated with left turn lanes or a roundabout, thus improving roadway safety. Q10) Studies have shown that marking a crossing at an intersection with turn lanes actually decreases safety. Please provide this study. A10) An extensive national study in 2005 of locations where the crosswalk approaches were not controlled by stop signs or traffic signals found that crosswalk markings did not lead to lower pedestrian crash rates. For some types of roads, there was no significant difference in pedestrian crash rates when the crossing was marked, but for higher- volume roads with multiple approach lanes, the pedestrian crash rate for marked crossings was approximately four times higher than crossings that were unmarked. This study can be accessed online at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/04100/04100.pdf. Q11) I don’t see why you could not find a way to continue the left turn lane between Lake Jane Trail and 39th Street so you wouldn’t have to redirect traffic through 38th Street? A11) Left turn lanes are an important safety component to provide a safe area for turning traffic to wait for a gap without being rear-ended by through traffic. 39th Street is too close to the combined 40th Street/Lake Jane Trail intersection to provide dedicated left turn lanes to both streets. A two-way left turn lane would not be suitable for these volumes, and side-by-side left turn lanes would further increase the roadway width in an already constrained area. Q12) Will Lake Elmo be re-building 38th and 39th Street? A12) 38th and 39th Street are owned by the City of Lake Elmo. If you have questions related to these Streets, please reach out to the City of Lake Elmo’s Engineer, Jack Griffin. Q13) Who would maintain the paths? Winter? A13) Maintenance of the paths or trails along Ideal Avenue will be documented by a Maintenance Agreement between the County and the Cities. This agreement is typically executed closer to construction, when the construction plans are further detailed, but is it anticipated that the trail along Ideal Avenue would be owned by the county and maintained by both the county and the cites. Any minor repairs to the trails would be completed by the cities. Any major repairs to the trail will be completed by the county. During winter, if the cities elect to clear snow from the trail, this will be a responsibility of the cities. County Highway 13 (Ideal Avenue) Phase 2 Page 4 Q14) Can the RAB lights be on a motion sensor? A14) We are not aware of any locations where motion-activated streetlights have been tried or the reliability of such technology. Additionally the motion detection zone would need to extend far from the roundabout such that approaching drivers are able to see the central island and reduce their speed prior to reaching the intersection. Therefore, a motion-activated system is not seen as a practical alternative. Q15) We request fire hydrants. Are any other utilities planned? Is curb and gutter decided? A15) Based on public feedback heard during the County Highway 13 Phase 1, curb and gutter is being used to help reduce private property impacts that are associated with grading ditches. Fire hydrants, water main lines, and sanitary sewer lines are owned and operated by Cities. Requests related to these utilities should be sent to the Engineer at either Lake Elmo or Oakdale, depending on which city you reside in. Q16) We moved here two years ago and I get the first notice about the 18th feedback meeting two weeks AFTER it occurred.