Planning Commission Meeting Date: October 20, 2016
To: Planning Commission
From: David Bennett, Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
Discussion of the 2018 County Road 1 Reconstruction and Non-Motorized Improvement Options.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield Planning Commission is requested to provide input on the County Road 1 Reconstruction and Non-Motorized Improvement Options.
Summary Report:
Rice County Road 1 between Trunk Highway 3 and Trunk Highway 246 pavement condition has reached the end of its life and is proposed for reconstruction in 2018. In 2015, Rice County went through corridor visioning and fact finding for this roadway segment. Through the visioning and fact finding process, the County developed a problem statement for the roadway in which it looks to address in 2018 assuming all funding is secured.
The problem statement (Attachment 1) speaks to improve the function of the roadway with projected traffic growth, concerns with safety on the roadway, and lack of pedestrian/bicycle facilities. Rice County is currently in the design process for the project and has provided three concept improvement options.
Staff is looking for input on the three concept improvements provided by the County. In review, it is important to understand that County Road 1 currently is not within Northfield City Limits or Dundas City Limits as it currently falls within Bridgewater Township. However, in the Comprehensive Plan it is anticipated that the City would annex in the land on the north side of County Road 1 and the City of Dundas would annex the land on the south side of County Road 1 sometime in the future. Also, the portion of the comprehensive plan also includes the Parks, Open Space, and Trail system plan, which shows a trail along the entire length of County Road 1.
The three concepts build on the first concept which is the base improvement described below:
Concept 1 (No trail)
• 3 Lane Undivided Rural Road Section with 12 foot lane and 8 foot shoulders, with right turn lanes at public streets and left turn lanes at TH 3, TH 246, and Highland Parkway
• At-Grade Pedestrian Crossing at Timberline Drive
• 8’ Paved Shoulders
Concept 2 (Partial Trail)
• 3 Lane roadway as identified with Concept 1
• Trail from Highland Parkway to Timberline Drive
• At-Grade Pedestrian Crossing at Timberline Drive
Concept 3 (Full Single Trail)
• 3 Lane roadway as identified with Concept 1
• Single Trail the Entire length
• Grade Separated Crossing that would line up with the Char Carlson Park Trail
It is staff’s recommendation that Concept 3 be pursued by the County due to reasonable walking and biking distances to the following destinations:
• Bridgewater Elementary, Northfield Middle School, Northfield High School, Arcadia
• YMCA
• Existing and Future Commercial along Highway 3
The County is looking for feedback from project stakeholders by the end of 2016 so the project can be delivered in 2018.