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City of Arden Hills 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills Minnesota 55112 <br />Phone 651.792.7800 Fax 651.634.5137 www.cityofardenhills.org <br />October 7, 2020 <br />Fay Simer <br />MnDOT North Area Coordinator <br />MnDOT Metro District <br />1500 W. County Road B-2 <br />Roseville, MN 55113 <br />RE: Access Closures Along Snelling Avenue <br />Dear Ms. Simer, <br />The City Council of the City of Arden Hills has serious concerns regarding upcoming changes <br />MnDOT is moving forward with along Snelling Avenue (Highway 51). The changes include <br />closing the left turn lane from southbound Snelling Avenue onto Hamline Avenue and <br />prohibiting left turns from Glenhill Road onto northbound Snelling Avenue. <br />The decision notification letter from MnDOT, dated September 25, 2020, describes changes to <br />the corridor that will significantly impact access into and out of adjacent neighborhoods, and <br />create dangerous conditions for both vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic. The letter <br />describes MnDOT’s intent to maintain an opening in the upcoming cable median barrier that will <br />allow bicyclists and pedestrians to continue to cross Snelling Avenue at Hamline Avenue. <br />Maintaining such an opening will certainly put pedestrians and bicyclists in life-threatening <br />situations when attempting to cross the road. <br />While these changes are being done in the name of safety, the City cannot envision a situation <br />where encouraging both pedestrians and bicycle traffic to cross Snelling Avenue at an <br />uncontrolled intersection is a safe option, a location where speeds are often in excess of sixty <br />miles per hour. Furthermore, these changes will direct traffic south onto Lydia Avenue, a <br />neighborhood street that cannot sustain the surplus number of vehicles and will encourage unsafe <br />u-turns at Lydia Avenue and Snelling Avenue. These u-turns, as with the opening in the cable <br />media barrier, will not only allow for but encourage travelers to engage in extremely dangerous <br />situations. <br />As an alternative to these closures, the City Council requests that the appropriate law <br />enforcement agencies strictly enforce the speed limits on Snelling Avenue. The lack of speed <br />enforcement already makes it difficult and dangerous for residents on Glenhill Road to turn onto <br />Snelling Avenue in any direction. Safe driving speeds would do more for the well-being of <br />vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic that travel along the roadway.