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Page 2 of 3 <br />(ICE) report is provided in Attachment A. A copy of the Cooperative Agreement with Ramsey <br />County is provided in Attachment B. <br />The purpose of the ICE report was to evaluate the existing (2018) and future (2038) traffic control <br />layout for the intersection of County Road E and Snelling Avenue North and recommend potential <br />improvements. The report identifies two key points related to the existing intersection function. <br />1.The County Road E corridor is projected to see an increase in traffic over the coming years <br />with the Bethel University Expansion. <br />2.MnDOT’s Crash Mapping Analysis Tool (MnCMAT) database indicates there have been 9 <br />crashes at the intersection between January 2013 and December 2015. Existing crash patterns <br />show that the intersection experiences an extremely high rate of 0.68 crashes per million <br />entering vehicles compared to the average rate of 0.34 for all-way stop intersections. The <br />crash rate is higher than the critical rate of 0.65 and the severity rate of 0.76 is higher than the <br />Statewide average severity rate of 0.5. <br />Operations Analysis <br />The intersection of County Road E and Snelling Avenue North is currently controlled with an all- <br />way stop condition. This configuration was simulated with a traffic model for both the AM and <br />PM peak traffic hours using existing (2018) traffic volume data as described in the ICE report. <br />The traffic operations analysis showed that the intersection currently operates at an acceptable <br />Level of Service (LOS) “A” during the AM peak hour and LOS “B” during the PM peak hour. <br />The report concluded “The analysis results indicate there are not major queuing issues currently <br />at the intersection. However, based on field observation during the peak hours, the intersection <br />seems to perform far poorer tha[n] what the analysis is indicating.” <br />The study then continued with further analysis of the intersection substituting traffic volume data <br />from the 2013 Bethel University Expansion Traffic Study in lieu of existing 2018 traffic volume <br />data. This alternative analysis assumed traffic volumes of approximately 30 percent more than <br />actual volumes and identified that the intersection is forecasted to fail during the PM peak hour <br />under current conditions. The study further predicted that the intersection would continue to <br />operate poorly during the PM peak hour under the projected increase in traffic volume in the year <br />2038. <br />Traffic Control Signal <br />The installation of traffic signals are guided by a series of national standards, or warrants, that <br />define the minimum conditions under which installing a traffic signal could be justified. The ICE <br />report reviewed existing traffic characteristics and determined that no traffic signal warrants are <br />currently met for the intersection of Snelling Avenue North and County Road E. Installation of a <br />signal would not be justified at this time. <br />Single Lane Roundabout <br />The traffic study further reviewed the intersection to determine if warrants are met for installation <br />of a single lane roundabout. Although no traffic warrants for roundabouts currently exist, the <br />MnDOT Intersection Control Evaluation Manual states that if a traffic signal or an all-way stop