HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-14-2024 City Council Work Session Packet Special
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
Mayor
Amáda Márquez Simula
Councilmembers
Connie Buesgens
Kt Jacobs
Rachel James
Justice Spriggs
City Manager
Aaron Chirpich
City Hall—Shared Vision Room, 3989 Central Ave NE
Monday, October 14, 2024
5:00 PM
AGENDA
ATTENDANCE INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC
Members of the public who wish to attend may do so in-person, or by using Microsoft Teams Meeting
at columbiaheightsmn.gov/joinameeting: ID 240 646 289 119, Passcode FpCuX5. For questions, please
contact Administration at 763-706-3610.
Auxiliary aids or other accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available upon request when
the request is made at least 72 hours in advance. Please contact Administration at 763 -706-3610 to
make arrangements.
CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
WORK SESSION ITEMS
1. Central Avenue Project Discussion with MnDOT. (45 Minutes)
ADJOURNMENT
Auxiliary aids or other accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available upon request when the request is
made at least 72 hours in advance. Please contact Administration at 763-706-3610 to make arrangements.
1
ITEM: Central Avenue Project Discussion with MnDOT.
DEPARTMENT: Public Works BY/DATE: Assistant City Engineer / October 8, 2024
CORE CITY STRATEGIES: (please indicate areas that apply by adding an “X” in front of the selected text below)
_Healthy and Safe Community
_Equitable, Diverse, Inclusive, and Friendly
_Trusted and Engaged Leadership
_Thriving and Vibrant Destination Community
X Strong Infrastructure and Public Services
_Sustainable
BACKGROUND:
MnDOT in collaboration with local partners including the City of Columbia Heights, Hilltop, Fridley, Anoka
County, and Metro Transit have been evaluating and studying preliminary design concepts for Central Avenue.
Chris Bower from MnDOT has been invited to share information with the Council on the latest developments
in the Central Avenue design coordination process.
SUMMARY OF CURRENT STATUS:
Various preliminary design concepts for Central Avenue are currently being considered with the goal of
selecting a preferred alternative for the corridor by the end of 2024 or early 2025. MnDOT is anticipating to
hold a public open house for the Central Avenue project towards the end of October. The final design phase
for the project is expected to begin in 2025.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
None – discussion only.
RECOMMENDED MOTION(S):
MOTION: None – discussion only.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachments: MnDOT Presentation
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
AGENDA SECTION SPECIAL WORK SESSION ITEM
MEETING DATE OCTOBER 14, 2024
2
Item 1.
Highway 65 Project Update
Christopher Bower| North Area Engineer
10/14/2024
mndot.gov3
Item 1.
Agenda
Time Topic
5 mins Upcoming engagement
5 mins Project Goals and Guiding Principles
25 mins Traffic operations background and info
25 mins Next steps and questions
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 2 4
Item 1.
Upcoming Engagement
•Open house this month!
•Business engagement ongoing, and continuing
•Another round of public engagement late 2024/early 2025
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 3 5
Item 1.
Project Goals and Guiding Principles
•Improve safety on Central Ave.
•In Heights/Hilltop we see on average at least one serious/fatal pedestrian crash annually.
MnDOT’s goal is to reduce this to zero.
•If congestion gets so bad that large amounts of traffic is diverted to neighborhood streets
– creating new safety problems on other roads – we’ve failed to accomplish our safety
goal
•Work with partner agencies to realize a holistic roadway design
•Metro Transit – F Line BRT
•Columbia Heights – Main Street
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 4 6
Item 1.
This is hard!!!
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 5
Battle Lake (example of a good walkable urban downtown) – carries 4,300 cars/day.
Central Ave. carries 20,000-30,000 cars/day. This is a contender for the busiest road diet
in the state.
7
Item 1.
The PEL was helpful, but….
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 6
•It presented one-size fits all solutions
for all of Columbia Heights/Hilltop
•Was so high-level it didn’t get into the
particulars of each intersection
8
Item 1.
Highway 169 in Saint Peter – 25,000 cars/day
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 7
Walkable, low-speed Main Street with 4+ lanes requires extra traffic calming elements.
This is only possible with support for ongoing maintenance.
9
Item 1.
36th Street in Saint Louis Park – 12,000 cars/day
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 8
Unbalanced roadway design (1 lane EB, 2 lanes WB)
Intersection at
Wooddale/36th can
experience long queues
with left/right turning traffic
There is only a single lane turning east
on 36th at any given time – two lanes
EB provides no additional benefit
10
Item 1.
Lake Street in Minneapolis – 23,000 cars/day
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 9
Unbalanced roadway design with BaT lane (bus lane + right turn lane for cars)
Right turn traffic volumes
can help inform where
BaT lanes can help
11
Item 1.
Highway 41 in Chaska – 18,000 cars/day
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 10
One lane in each direction w/median– turn lanes tailored to intersection-specific needs
12
Item 1.
Traffic Operations Background and Info
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 11
•76% of traffic on Central Ave. in
Columbia Heights is going
somewhere in Columbia
Heights. This traffic
wants/needs good ways to drive
to destinations in Heights.
•24% of traffic on Central Ave. in
Heights is just passing through.
This traffic might take other
routes if they’re faster/easier.
13
Item 1.
Traffic Operations Background and Info
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 12
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Traffic Volumes on Central Ave. just south of 53rd Ave.
NB Average Volume SB Average Volume
14
Item 1.
Traffic Operations Background and Info
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 13
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Traffic Volumes on Central Ave. just south of 53rd Ave.
NB Average Volume SB Average Volume
Peak hour design
Leaves surplus
capacity outside of
peak travel time
15
Item 1.
Traffic Operations Background and Info
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 14 16
Item 1.
Traffic Operations Background and Info
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 15
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Traffic Volumes on Central Ave. just south of 53rd Ave.
NB Average Volume SB Average Volume
Designing for less
than peak hour
Leads to additional delay for cars
during time of peak demand –
displacement to other roads
17
Item 1.
Traffic Operations Background and Info
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 16
Going from two lanes in one direction to one lane will:
•Roughly double queue lengths at red lights
•Because the line of cars on Central is longer – signal
needs to provide more “green time” to Central –
reducing available green time for cross streets.
Especially difficult at 37th / Reservoir with 5th
intersection leg.
•Creates long “platoons” that reduce gaps to turn left at
stop controlled intersections like 39th, 42nd, 43rd
18
Item 1.
Traffic Operations Background and Info
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 17
•Lane reduction is one of our most powerful safety countermeasures
•We did this in 2022 during the city sewer project – and while queues
increased – they weren’t as bad as the computer model is suggesting – why?
19
Item 1.
Traffic Operations Background and Info
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 18
Traffic finds other ways to get around. Consider a
hypothetical trip from downtown Minneapolis to
Tasty Pizza.
•Google Maps suggests the fastest route – today
– is not on Central but via University and
44th/45th
•I-94/694 is another faster – albeit longer –
alternative
In a world where Central Ave. has fewer lanes
drivers have good alternatives to get where
they’re going – and traffic will find ways to balance
out.
20
Item 1.
Traffic Operations Background and Info
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 19
It’s difficult to predict the impact of traffic shifts on
local roads. But consider what we do know from
2022 when Central was down to a single lane:
•Average traffic volume on 44th Ave. before 2022
is about 6500 cars/day
•Average traffic volume on 44th Ave. during 2022
was about 7400 cars/day – 13% increase
It’s reasonable to expect similar shifts on other
cross-streets that connect Central and University
like 37th, 40th, and 49th.
21
Item 1.
What we hope to share this month
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 20
37th Ave. thru 41st Ave.
•One through lane in each
direction can work*
•Consider bus lane(s) to
improve traffic flow
(*see next slide)
41st Ave. thru 47th Ave.
•Serious safety issues
•One through lane in each
direction results in long queues
•Not making a decision on the
number of lanes in this section
at this time.
49th Ave. through 53rd Ave.
•Lower pedestrian volumes and
crashes
•Two through lanes needed to
maintain acceptable operations
•Could consider alternative
intersections
22
Item 1.
What we hope to share this month
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 21
Right turn in
from Central only
•The 5th intersection leg at 37th/Reservoir is
a key limiting issue for the traffic signal at
the intersection.
•Removing the SB Reservoir access will do a
lot to help Central work with only one lane
in each direction, recommending
conversion to NB right-in only.
23
Item 1.
What we hope to share this month
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 22
Right turns only
•The intersection of 42nd has a serious
pedestrian crash history and is difficult to
turn left from today
•It gets much harder to turn left here in a
future where Central is only one lane in
each direction
•Recommending constructing a median
through this intersection, allowing right
turns only.
24
Item 1.
What we hope to share this month
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 23
•Traffic signals require large
intersections near 694 – a traffic
signal concept has up to 7 lanes that
a pedestrian has to cross
25
Item 1.
What we hope to share this month
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 24
•A roundabout requires crossing only
4 lanes.
But we also need to consider:
•How we make pedestrian crossings
safe and comfortable
•How to make it easy for drivers to
navigate a multilane roundabout
•Roundabouts don’t work well
immediately adjacent to a signal.
Requires additional changes to
access.
Want to introduce this concept in more
detail to the public, get feedback
26
Item 1.
What we hope to share this month
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 25 27
Item 1.
What we hope to share this month
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 26 28
Item 1.
What we hope to share this month
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 27 29
Item 1.
Questions?
Christopher Bower
christopher.bower@state.mn.us
10/10/2024 mndot.gov 28 30
Item 1.