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Some on DRC want plan ‘tweaked,’ Mayor Stev Stegner says
Cliff Buchan
News Editor
Could the end be in sight for the Broadway Avenue corridor improvement study in Forest Lake?
After more than a year of review, the city of Forest Lake’s transportation design review committee is nearing an end to its work with Washington County engineers and consultants.
On Tuesday, the DRC met with county and city staff to review a plan that has consensus approval for the CR-2 project from Lake Street (US-61) west to the commercial district west of I-35.
The consensus was reached at the October 28 DRC meeting.
While consensus has been reached by the DRC on what is called the “orange” concept plan, it may not be a done deal just yet.
Mayor Stev Stegner, who serves on the DRC body, said some members of the committee want revisions to the option that would remove some of the scheduled center medians and relocate a planned signal light from 7th Street to 8th Street.
“I am very supportive of the option with minor tweaks,” Stegner said in an interview on the eve of Tuesday’s meeting.
The possible changes to the plan come as the days of 2008 quickly tick away. Washington County is anticipating a decision by the city regarding its plan of choice by the end of the year or early in 2009, said Cory Slagle, construction manager for the county.
The option
The “orange” option now on the table has put an end to the construction of any roundabouts throughout the corridor with the exception of the Lake and Broadway intersection where plans are proceeding for a roundabout.
What the plan identifies is new signalized intersections at 4th, 7th and 12th Streets, a new bridge over I-35 with a diamond ramp design, a revamped SW 19th Street intersection and a new entrance to The Home Depot property at Everton Avenue N.
A major facet of the plan is a raised center median from the freeway east to the Lake Street roundabout. To address business concerns, the center median will be designed with an option to allow eastbound traffic to make left turns in the area of the BP station and in front of Culver’s.
To provide access for businesses on the north side of Broadway, a new NW 1st Avenue backage road would be built west from NW 7th Street to the AmericInn Motel property.
The signal light at 7th Street would provide west bound traffic a controlled intersection to connect with the businesses.
On the west side of I-35, the re-designed SW 19th Street connection with W. Broadway Ave. will no longer allow traffic to turn west, but only turn east.
“We think it is a solid proposal that will meet our goals to improve safety and reduce congestion and we’re looking forward to moving ahead with the project,” Slagle said of the option.
The CR-2 segment in Forest Lake carries the highest accident rate of any road in the county highway system, the engineer said.
The plan is endorsed by City Administrator Chip Robinson and County Commissioner Dennis Hegberg of Forest Lake.
Of the plan now under final review, Robinson said last week he is “fairly comfortable” that it will address business and safety concerns.
Hegberg said he was encouraged that after much delay the Broadway plan was nearing a point where final design plans could begin.
The ‘tweaks’
The “orange” option could yet see some changes. Stegner said last week he favors some adjustments to the consensus plan.
“The orange option shows medians going all the way through (the corridor),” the mayor said. He said some on the DRC are proposing that medians be eliminated from the area of SuperAmerica east to 3rd Street.
Stegner says his review of accident data tells him the center medians can be avoided for now. That would give the city time to “wait and see” how traffic growth continues and needs change.
When deemed needed, the center medians could be added at a later date, he said. Improved striping and lane markings would work for now, Stegner said.
Regarding the signal light location, Stegner said he agrees with others on the DRC who favor placing it at 8th Street and not 7th Street. Stegner said that would be a cost savings as the city would not have to acquire land one block north of Broadway and construct for a full block of the new NW 1st Avenue.
Robinson said last week it was his understanding that 7th Street was the desired location for the light with the city council having the ultimate say in where it is situated.
Slagle said the changes were items that could be reviewed this week.
“We’ve always been open to looking at different options, but we have to make sure that our goal of providing a safe roadway is met,” he said.
“We are designing a project that will not only be safer for motorists when it is completed, but also safe in future years as Forest Lake continues to grow and develop.”
Stegner said it is his goal to find a “solution that is the best for the city.”
Other plans
Regarding the downtown roundabout, Stegner said he will no longer oppose the intersection plan which he voted against in the past. “The council has approved a roundabout there,” he said, adding that he believes it will be built in the future.
Hegberg said he is pleased that the city has come to a decision on this plan which also involves the state. He said he believes the roundabout is the least expensive and least intrusive of any of the plans considered for the downtown intersection.
Slagle said the county is also prepared to move forward with the 11th Avenue bridge over I-35. It would be a key element of the Broadway project. The county will seek temporary ramps to I-35 from the new bridge for freeway traffic during the construction of the new Broadway bridge over I-35.
The county is also planning new Hardwood Creek Trail overpasses at 11th Avenue and Broadway.
Slagle said the county would likely need all of 2009 to do final plans and acquire right of way for the downtown intersection. Construction would begin in early 2010 with the Broadway project construction likely in 2011.
The new 11th Avenue bridge over I-35 would likely be scheduled in 2010, he said.
The Broadway project is expected to cost in the range of $17 million to $18 million with a combination of federal, county and city funds needed. Some $7 million is the estimate for the new 11th Avenue bridge.
The county has plans to bond $10 million in its capital improvement plan for Broadway and the project will see another $9 million in federal highway dollars secured several years ago as bonding earmarks by then Congressman Mark Kennedy, Hegberg said.
In all, some $12.6 million in federal funding has been secured.
In all, the various construction projects are expected to cost $27.1 million
The city of Forest Lake is estimating it will spend up to $7 million as its share of the projects. Some $2 million in municipal state aid dollars will go to the project along with tax-increment surplus dollars the city now has in the bank or will collect in the years ahead, Robinson said.
The cost for right of way acquisition has not been determined for any of the projects and will add to the bottom line.
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