Cliff Buchan
News Editor

Last month when Forest Lake City Council was told it should explore roundabouts for key city intersections, CM Judy Bull quizzically asked if Forest Lake was going to be the ìroundabout capital of Minnesota.î

Bull may not be too far from reality if a plan being pushed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation takes root here.

While roundabouts were listed as a possible solution to the two TH-97 and US-61 junctions here, they are now getting a serious look at SW 12th Street and W. Broadway Ave., the east and west sides of I-35 on Broadway, and at SW 19th St. and Broadway.

The roundabout option was presented May 26 to the Broadway Business Task Force by the project management team that is crafting improvement plans for Broadway (CR-2) from US-61 (Lake Street) to I-35.

After more than a year of exploring options for improvements to the I-35 overpass at Broadway and consideration of a second I-35 overpass, possibly at SW 11th Ave., the roundabout option has added a new dimension to the joint planning effort.

ìWeíre trying to be open-mindedî said Tim Chalupnik, of TKDA Engineers, the lead consulting firm on the highway project.

The newest option involves a form of highway construction that does not rely on signal lights, but utilizes circular driving patterns to carry traffic through an intersection at speeds of 20 miles an hour or less, said Sandy Cullen, transportation manager for the county.

Roundabouts are not used in Minnesota but they are gaining in use in states like Wisconsin. A delegation of state, county, city and school district officials from this area went to Madison this spring to see roundabouts in use.

Wisconsin is way ahead of Minnesota in use of roundabouts, Chalupnik said.

He said a favorable first impression by officials visiting Madison was a factor in the roundabout option getting more review for possible use in Forest Lake.

ìThey (local officials) were very impressed with how well it could handle more traffic,î Chalupnik to the BBTF last week.

Some questions were raised last week and members of the planning team said two key meetings in early June will shed more light on the topic.

At 6 p.m., Monday, June 13 the city council will have a one-hour work session devoted to the roundabout concept. Two days later on Wednesday, June 15, the roundabout option and the entire plan for the Broadway Corridor will be the topic for an open house.

The June 15 session is from 4-7 p.m. at the Century Junior High School cafeteria. It does not include a formal program but offers an informal opportunity for area residents to review plans and ask questions.

Pros and cons

There were pros and cons listed for the roundabout concept at the BBTF meeting May 26.

Dennis Hegberg, Forest Lake, the local county commissioner, said he and others on the county board have questions on the option. The board reviewed the topic at its May 24 meeting.

ìThey (roundabouts) are confusing to our minds,î Hegberg said. ìItís an education on how you transfer and maneuver,î he said, adding roundabouts can be confusing for people not familiar with the area.

ìI still have concerns with large trucks and buses and how they maneuver those lanes. I donít know how polite people will be.î

For Dr. Dave Enright of South Shore Veterinary Hospital, roundabouts would be no problem. He has driven them in Vail, CO, with no problem.

ìTo me, they are amazing,î Enright said. ìThey work well.î

To further analyze the possible use in Forest Lake, the county has hired a consultant from Wisconsin for a comprehensive review. The results of the study will be available by June 15, Cullen said.

Roundabouts would bring cost savings at construction, officials said, and would require drivers to become educated on the new system.

Other factors

The BBTF also learned last week the ongoing planning will likely recommend the use of raised medians from US-61 west to I-35. Business access would be limited but the goal of reducing crashes and making Broadway safer would be realized, Cullen said.

The planners presented accident figures that pinpointed the trouble spot at SW 12th St. and Broadway.

In three years ending in 2003, the intersection had 58 vehicle crashes. There were 24 crashes in 2003 alone, the last year from which statistics are available.

During the three-year tabulation period, there were 15 crashes at SW 19th St. and Broadway, 33 on the I-35 overpass, 18 on Broadway between 12th and I-35, 15 between 12th and SW 7th St., 13 at 4th St. and Broadway and 22 at US-61 and Broadway.

City Administrator Chip Robinson said the planning would make a serious attempt to persuade state and federal agencies to allow a new NW 1st Ave. from NW 7th St. to the AmericInn as a way to provide better business access on the north side of Broadway.

Those plans for the new access road were approved in 1989 but the project was never finished following a city council change. With rules for wetlands now more restrictive, Robinson said it will be more difficult to put the road back in the city plan.

ìItís an uphill battle,î Robinson said. ìWe should still have that alternative in for discussion.î

Funding issues must still be resolved, too.

In 2007, the county has plans through its capital improvement bonding plan to use $16 million for the Broadway project. The current federal transportation bill that remains in limbo in Washington, D.C., saw $3 million earmarked for Broadway in the House version.

The city would utilize state municipal aid dollars from the gas tax and may need a general levy supported by property taxes for added city funding.

It is also hoped additional MnDOT dollars can be found for the project.

The idea of a second Forest Lake overpass of I-35 is far from a done deal, either. The officials said last week state and federal authorities must be convinced a second crossing will create benefits to Broadway and is justified.

Major improvements will also be needed on roads to the east and west of I-35. As many as 16,000 vehicles a day could travel the new SW 11th Ave.

Robinson and Cullen stressed the need to do the comprehensive and time-consuming study. The planning must address current traffic and safety needs while looking out 20 years, Cullen said.

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