04-28-14 Special WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL WORK SESSION—APRIL 28, 2014 2 Beth Engum, Ramsey County, discussed the proposed interchange design for the intersection of County Road 96 and I-35W with the Council. She noted that this was the last segment of Highway 96 that required reconstruction. The diverging diamond design and proposed goals for the intersection were reviewed. She played a short video that displayed the DDI configuration and requested comment from the Council. She reported that St. Cloud and Bloomington had a DDI intersection. She described how the project would be cost shared between the City, County and State. Mayor Grant questioned if this would be a MnDOT project or a Ramsey County project. Ms. Engum reported that this would be a County led project. She discussed the memorandum of understanding that the County had drafted with MnDOT. Mayor Grant believed that the DDI configuration would be unusual and would take some time for the public to become familiar with. Councilmember McClung requested further information on how pedestrians could pass through this intersection. Ms. Engum reviewed how traffic and pedestrians would flow through the intersection. She noted that the County has considered posting"no right on red" signs for pedestrian safety reasons. Councilmember Holden questioned if the proposed DDI was safer than the typical interchange. Ms. Engum indicated that the County did have statistics that showed that the DDI design was the safer option. She further reviewed the benefits of the proposed intersection, noting that there were fewer contact points. Mayor Grant asked if the DDI would take longer to build. Ms. Engum described how the construction would be completed. She noted that the bridge would not be closed throughout most of the construction, but there will be a need for some short term closures. Councilmember Holden expressed concern with how long this road construction project would take; stating it would greatly impact Arden Hills' residents. She questioned when this work would be completed. Ms. Engum noted that this project was scheduled for 2015 along with the County Road F (Lake Valentine Road and County Road E projects). She reported that she could investigate the timing of the projects further, but explained that the County wanted to have these projects done before development began on TCAAP. Councilmember Holden feared that by having both of these projects worked on at the same year the residents of Arden Hills would be extremely impacted by traffic delays. Discussion took place regarding a City detour route map.