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ROAD CONSTRUCTION SEASON BEGINS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET AROUND TOWN Arden Hills Notes MAY 2016 BY TINA KULZER THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER FOR ARDEN HILLS RESIDENTS The spring and summer sea- sons are always filled with road construction projects. This year, Arden Hills residents will be im- pacted by a significant number of construction detours and delays. Some have already begun, and there are more to come. Here’s a look at what you need to know to get around town. ENHANCE 694 MnDOT’s multi-year project to reconstruct and add a third general purpose lane in each direction of I-694 between Rice Street and Lexington Avenue began April 4. It is sched- uled to be complete by fall of 2017. This project will also rebuild interstate ramps at Lexing- ton Avenue, Victoria Street, and Rice Street, and it will create an exit-only lane to Rice Street from the right lane of the northbound I-35E flyover bridge to westbound I-694. MnDOT will keep two lanes of traffic open in each direction while westbound lane work is underway this year. Nighttime lane clo- sures are currently in effect in each direction between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. Monday through Friday as crews build bypass lanes and wid- en the roadway to prepare to shift traffic onto a temporary alignment in mid-May. At that time, the ramp from Rice Street to westbound I-694 will close for the construction season. Travelers on westbound I-694 are strong- ly encouraged to know their routes and are required to choose a lane upon entering the work zone just east of I-35E. I-35E traffic head- ing onto westbound I-694 will be routed into the local access lane. A concrete median bar- rier will separate the two lanes of traffic and will not allow for lane changes within the work zone. The left lane will be dedicated to through traffic, and the right lane will be intended for local traffic needing to enter or exit the interstate. Rebuilding the eastbound lanes will have similar traffic restrictions. Informational videos about this project, instruction on how to drive through the work (continued page 5) STAY INFORMED Sign up for email updates at: www.dot.state.mn.us www.ramseycounty.us 1 It’s Road Construction Season! 2 Social Media Policy Approved 3 Ben Franklin Readiness Center Open 4 Your City Needs You: Volunteer! IN THIS ISSUE / MAY 2016 ARDEN HILLS, MN 55112-5734 ECR-WSS PRST STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 1962 Twin Cities, MN RAMSEY COUNTY 911 Over the past months and years, it seems like a variety of large scale emergencies have been in the news. Some are international, some are domestic, and others are of a more regional nature. We have seen news stories of: suicide bombers, active shooters, floods, tornados, mud slides, and train derailments to name just a few. Some of the news stories seem so far away from Arden Hills, a quiet sub- urban city. However, the question still remains: what if some- thing happened here? Just how prepared are we? Being prepared at its very core is having a plan in advance. The City of Arden Hills maintains an emergency plan for large scale emergencies. The plan outlines a location and backup location for a City and County emergency operations center. Included in that plan are the people, organizational chain of command structure, procedures for implementation, com- munication, and equipment that can be used. Key to success is swift and effective response to unexpected and evolving situations. The City of Arden Hills uses Ramsey County Dispatch for police and law enforcement services. Ramsey County 911 Dis- patch has a secondary location should their primary location ever become compromised in an emergency. If the primary and secondary locations are not able to meet dispatch needs, all dispatch can be transferred to another predetermined county with literally the press of one very important button. The important point, in terms of dispatch of services, is that there is a backup plan to the backup plan. Action can be taken quickly to continue services even in the most extreme emergency. The City of Arden Hills also has a des- ignated operation control location and backup location should it be- come necessary. Equally important to having a plan is to test and refine the plan un- der a variety of situations. For example, a few years back, a simulation was done for a train derailment with hazardous materials. This sim- ulation tested the hazardous material response and communications parts of the plan. On April 1 of this year, Arden Hills was chosen for simulation of an active shooter in northern Arden Hills. The nature of this event pulled a wide number of resources including federal, state, county, police, fire, and military personnel. The emergency plan is in place and undergoes ongoing testing and updating. Changes come about in a variety of ways. Changes are need- ed over time as laws, personnel, and equipment changes, and of course, as new information is learned from simulations. In the past, dialing 911 was used exclusively for emergencies. In Ram- sey County, the use of 911 has been broadened to include both emergen- cies and to report information that may be useful to law enforcement. If you see suspicious activity or have information that you believe law enforcement should be aware of, it is acceptable to dial 911 and report it. Have a safe and wonderful summer. David Grant, Mayor NEWS FROM THE MAYOR