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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, December 4, 2017 Page 20 shoulder used for that purpose now. Councilmember Willmus noted similar is- sues at Lydia and Hamline Avenues, Josephine Road and Hamline and other areas previously identified by residents Roger Toogood and Jim DeBenedet as turn lanes but impacting pedestrians and bicyclers using those areas. If the plan is to expand those lanes, Councilmember Willmus opined that there was a need to find solutions to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclers in those areas. Mr. Culver duly noted that request for follow-up. Mayor Roe noted the dual purpose of two northbound lanes for turns and keeping people moving forward. Councilmember McGehee stated her agreement with the majority of Mr. Culver's comments. However, once southbound, Councilmember McGehee noted that most people may opt to get off 1-35W sooner, using Roselawn Avenue to Snel- ling, creating even more traffic from the University of Minnesota to Cleveland Avenue down Roselawn Avenue. At this point, if anything (e.g. accidents, con- struction) happened on the freeway, traffic already backed up on those streets. Councilmember McGehee also referenced ongoing citizens concerns expressed by residents on Skillman and Roselawn Avenues during those backups and safety concerns for their neighborhoods. Specific to Lydia Avenue, County Road D and the Fairview Avenue corridor, Mayor Roe recognized the tension between doing too much to make it work better resulting in more people deciding to continue using those alternate routes. Mayor Roe suggested an excess backup for a portion of rush hour may serve as its own deterrent to preclude people from using it. Mayor Roe asked that, as the City Council considers this, that they take that into their deliberations that if an alter- nate route is made easier to use during construction it may remain as the new normal, creating consequences for additional traffic congestion. As it got closer to the project start, Councilmember Laliberte suggested that the city use any and all of its communication resources to address potential traffic congestion on its streets and for its residents. Councilmember Laliberte noted that this continued to be an area of resident concern and increased feedback over the last few years even absent any major construction projects. Therefore, Coun- cilmember Laliberte opined that everything possible be done by the city to pre- pare residents for these impacts. Mr. Culver agreed, suggesting that the winter of 2019 leading up to the 2020 pro- ject would be good timing for news articles and encouraging residents to seek out alternate routes. Overall, Councilmember Willmus opined that this MnDOT project was a good thing and needed. From a different perspective than that of Mayor Roe, Coun-