City Council Meeting Date: July 5, 2016
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: David Bennett - Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
Consideration to fund Arbor Street Crosswalk Improvements.
Body
Action Requested:
Staff recommends approval of the Resolution authorizing the Crosswalk Improvements at the intersection of Trunk Highway 246 and Arbor Street. Note this will require a super majority vote (5/7) for the fund balance transfer.
Summary Report:
On June 21, 2016 Council discussed the proposed crosswalk improvements on the south side of Arbor Street intersecting with TH 246. The crosswalk is a requirement for the installation of a school zone speed limit. Some concerns were raised related to the reinstallation of the sidewalk on the north side of the Middle School drive entrance. The School District Superintendent has provided a letter indicating that the installation of the sidewalk on the north side will be reinstalled with their driveway widening improvements (Attachment 2). Furthermore, staff has clarified his support to include the city’s conditional approval of these items that are pending final authorization of the school board on July 11th and included this into the resolution.
As part of the TH 246 and Jefferson Parkway study, the Middle School driveway is operating at a level of “service D in the AM peak.” A level service D environment tends to include higher prevalence of vehicle backups, frustration by drivers and more risky driving behavior. This is currently being reviewed as part of the study. Preliminary indications are a possible solution to establish lane markings on the driveway to improve operations in the short term. The preliminary findings will be shared at the July 12 council work session. Dependent on what happens at the intersection of TH 246 and Jefferson Parkway, the Middle School Driveway may additionally be a candidate for a roundabout to improve operations.
Staff received input from Will Schroeer a resident of Northfield on the crosswalk and were asked to consider either bumpouts similar to our previous discussion at Washington Street and Fifth Street or alternatively construction of a median refuge on TH 246 (Attachment 3). Both of these options are good alternatives that would provide additional safety for pedestrians. However, these options will not improve the operation of the Middle School Driveway. Due to further considerations of intersection operational improvements, staff is recommending that we let the improvement for the TH 246 and Jefferson Parkway study play out, establish the basic crosswalk and install a solar power rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) at the crossing location for the short term. The RRFB would accommodate additional vehicular notification of the pedestrian crossing when a school crossing guard isn’t present. The bumpouts or median refuge would be recommended as future consideration for improvements to be evaluated in conjunction with the TH 246 and Jefferson Parkway options. Completion of the median or bump out option now may require substantial reconstruction later if other improvements to this intersection are implemented. Therefore, staff feels this would be an appropriate incremental approach and to continue to evaluate these alternatives for future improvements in a broader planning context.
The City has an engineer’s estimate to complete the crosswalk improvements. The costs are summarized below:
|
Construction |
$56,000 |
|
Driver Feedback Signs |
$12,000 |
|
RRFB |
$18,000 |
|
Contingency (20%) |
$17,200 |
|
Overhead (20%) |
$20,640 |
|
Total Project |
$123,840 |
The school district has indicated they would commit $20,000 for the improvement and also provide staffing of an adult cross guard. Along with this, the school district will spend over $100,000 to install a sidewalk on the south side of the driveway to the Middle School to align with the crosswalk location, and also widen the Middle School driveway (Attachment 4 - School Improvements).
If the City would like to move this forward, a financial commitment of $104,000 would be needed from the City. Staff is recommending proceeding with this improvement.
Alternative Options:
a. The RRFB could be removed from the project to keep the financial commitment for the City at $80,000.
b. The City could wait and apply for a Safe Route to School Grant for the project. The solicitation period is in the fall of 2016. This would move the project construction to the summer of 2017 and also push this improvement off for one more school year. Staff is not recommending this option due to the high priority to complete improvements prior to next school year in coordination with the Northfield Public School District. However, this may be appropriate related to future improvements to Highway 246 and Jefferson Parkway intersection or future enhancements at Arbor Street.
Financial Impacts:
The City’s financial commitment would be $104,000. A General Fund balance transfer of $104,000 to the Capital Reserve Fund is required.
Tentative Timelines:
Construct in August of 2016.