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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-27-14 Special WS lt �-fi` DIE_. ILLS Approved: July 14, 2014 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MAY 27, 2014 6:00 P.M. -ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Grant called to order the special City Council work session at 6:00 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, Dave McClung, and Ed Werner Absent: None Also present: Director of Finance and Administrative Services Sue Iverson; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; Assistant City Engineer John Anderson; City Planner Ryan Streff; and City Clerk Amy Dietl 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. Bridges • I-35W/Highway 96 Interchange Discussion Beth Engum, Ramsey County, stated that the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) has been selected as the preferred alternative for the I-35W/Highway 96 interchange. The proposed model was based on traffic modeling looking forward to the next 30 years. She reviewed the layout with the Council in a draft format noting that the County has been speaking with surrounding local business owners. She reported that the County will be coming before the Council on June 30`x' seeking municipal consent. She provided further information on the proposed interchange, as well as where trails and sidewalks will be located. She then asked for comments or questions from the Council. Councilmember Holden questioned if the County or MnDOT would be covering the expense of the interchange aesthetics. Ms. Engum indicated that the expense for aesthetics would be borne by both the City of New Brighton and the City of Arden Hills. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MAY 27, 2014 2 Councilmember Holden requested information about the current capacity of the bridge and asked if this would change after the interchange work was complete. Ms. Engum explained that the bridge was three lanes at this time and the future bridge would be five lanes wide. Discussion ensued regarding how traffic would flow through the interchange and over the bridge. Mayor Grant questioned where the new bridge would be built. Ms. Engum reported that the new bridge would be built next to the old bridge, similar to the Rice Street/Highway 36 bridge replacement. This would allow the old bridge to remain in service as long as possible. She commented that the alignment would be altered slightly once the new bridge was completed. She indicated that final design plans and staging for the bridge would be completed later this summer. Councilmember Holden questioned if this intersection would be able to handle future traffic levels after TCAAP and the Northwest Quadrant was fully developed. Ms. Engum stated that the diverging diamond would operate better than a standard diamond at full build-out based on the regional model. Mayor Grant suggested that the bridge be made wide enough in the event that I-35W is widened in the future. He asked how the bridge and interchange improvements would be funded. Ms. Engum indicated that the County received $29 million in funding from the State and $12 million from this allocation would be set aside for this interchange. She commented that MnDOT would be contributing another$2.5 million plus $250,000 for signals. Mayor Grant questioned the total expense for this project. Ms. Engum estimated that the project will cost between$14 and 16 million. Councilmember Holmes requested further information on the trail and sidewalk widths to be provided by the County. She questioned if it was necessary to have both a sidewalk and trail over the bridge. Ms. Engum stated that MnDOT would fund one crossing across the bridges. She reported that she did not have all of the information on the sidewalk or trail but would bring this information to the Council when the plans were closer to the final design phase. She indicated that the expense for the sidewalk would be split between the cities of Arden Hills and New Brighton, and MnDOT would pay for the trail. She reported that the County was committed to having both connections. She noted that a good faith estimate would come to the City on June 30th when the City is requested to provide municipal consent. The estimate will provide the Council with a better idea of the City's cost participation. Mayor Grant inquired how traffic would flow through the City when the bridge is closed. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MAY 27, 2014 3 Ms. Engum reviewed the proposed detour with the Council noting that traffic will be routed to I- 694 via Lexington Avenue. • Coordination of Three Bridge Projects in 2015 Beth Engum, Ramsey County, noted that County Road H at I-35W is a 2016 project. She reviewed a map for the 2015-2016 county projects that showed how traffic will be impacted. She reported that the bridge closures will be coordinated in a manner to ensure they do not overlap. Councilmember Holden expressed concern with how Arden Hills' residents would be impacted by the numerous bridge closings. She recommended that the 1-35W bridge closing be postponed to lessen the impact on residents. Ms. Engum stated that it could be written into the contract, however, the County wanted to have this project completed in one construction season. Councilmember McClung feared that the I-35W/County Road 96 project may not go as smoothly as planned and then the City would be facing another Highway 10/County Road 96 delayed construction situation given the unpredictability of the weather. Mayor Grant asked how long the County Road E bridge over Snelling would be out of service. Ms. Engum explained that there is no room for realignment with this bridge so it would be closed for approximately four months as it is reconstructed. Kent Barnard, MnDOT, anticipated that the County Road E bridge would be constructed between April through November of 2015. He reported that this contract would be incentivized to encourage the contractor to complete the project on time or early. He explained that the County Road F at 1-35W bridge would be replaced at the end of the 2015 school year (April to August) or end of the 2016 school year(April to August). Councilmember Holden questioned why the County and MnDOT were proposing to work on the County Road E and County Road F bridges in the same construction season. Mr. Barnard reported that the ramps would not be closed for the entire duration of the project. Ms. Engum stated that MnDOT has these two bridges, along with County Road E2, programmed for replacement in 2015 due to the conditions of the bridges. She commented that bridge replacements impact traffic much less than full road reconstruction. Councilmember Holden asked if the County Road E2 bridge would be a full closure. Ms. Engum stated that this was the case as the alignment could not shift. Mayor Grant thanked Ms. Engum and Mr. Barnard for the information they provided to Council this evening. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MAY 27, 2014 4 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES None. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the special City Council work session at 6:58 p.m. Amy Dietl 0 David Grant City Clerk Mayor It' --A EN HILLS Request for Special City Council Work Session A special meeting may be called by the Mayor or by any two Councilmembers. Topics for meeting: A. Bridges • 1-35W/ Highway 96 Interchange Discussion (Beth Engum) • Coordination of Three Bridge Projects in 2015 (Kent Barnard) Requested Date: 5/27/14 Requested time: 6:00 PM Open meeting X Closed meeting Signature of person(s) making request: hm4►. S� 05/20Z14 Mayor or Councilmember Date Councilmember Date -This section to be completed by City staff- Date received: s l ao / I L( Date meeting to be held: 5127/14 Time of meeting: 6:00 PM Location: City Hall All necessary posting and notices have been completed. Signature of Cit Jerk Date City of Arden Hills 0 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills,MN 55112-5743 Phone 651-792-7800 * Fax 651-634-5137 www.cityofardenhills.org