9.2 SR 10-19-2020
Request for Action
To Item Number
Mayor and City Council 9.2
Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by
Work Session October 19, 2020 Justin Femrite, P.E. Public Works Director
Item Description Reviewed by
Speed Study Requests Cal Portner, City Administrator
Reviewed by
Action Requested
Discussion on speed studies.
Background/Discussion
There is a current request by residents located on CR 40 (Cleveland Street), between CSAH 12 and CSAH 13 to
consider a request of MnDOT to complete a formal speed study. Being this is a Sherburne County roadway they
ultimately need to make the request for the study to be completed. Before the county would make this request,
they will want the local jurisdiction to be supportive of doing so.
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Like concerns on CR 40, we have been hearing concerns surrounding the posted limit on 175 Avenue which is a
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City of Elk River roadway. The current posting on 175 Avenue, between Fillmore and Twin Lakes Road, is 45
mph. While state law now allows for our independent review and posting of this roadway, unless we would
consider a complete change to the posted speeds on all city residential streets in town, staff would recommend we
rely on the expertise of MnDOT and their objective review of the conditions to recommend the proper posed
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speeds. The most recent speed study on 175 Avenue was completed in 2004.
Financial Impact
None
Mission/Policy/Goal
To meet changing needs
Attachments
Resident letter on CR 40 speed study request
The Elk River Vision
A welcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional
service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires prosperity.
Updated: August 2020
This is a request to lower the speed limit on a one-mile section of CR 40,
Cleveland Street NW, in Elk River from the current 55 mph to 45 mph. This would
impact travel time very little and increase the safety of both the neighborhood
and those traveling through an area that is becoming more populated and has
increased traffic.
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This section of road goes from CSAH 12 (181 street) to the current 45 mph limit
near the new roundabout at Twin Lakes Rd NW.
Plese see our justification for this action below.
Road Characteristics- This road is hilly, has limited site line distances, and
has no passing lanes the entire distance from both directions. There are
bypass lanes at the school and new housing development but not on the
rest of the road.
Traffic Conditions-The elementary school and new housing development
on the north west corner of CR 40 creates increased traffic and pedestrian
usage on the current walking path. The walking path is not continuous and
so pedestrians walk on the shoulder where the speed limit is the highest.
The development is continuing to be built to the south and the 45-mph
limit will, no doubt, be extended further. It would also make sense to have
a lower speed limit near the school and housing development. Currently set
at 45 mph. Cars back up along Cleveland Street, when parents are
transporting their children to school, creating a dangerous situation.
Current Construction Traffic-The housing development construction has
greatly increased heavy truck traffic.
Farm Tractor Usage- We have an unusual amount of large, slow moving
farm tractors that use this road.
Deer and motorcycles- With the dense area of woods on the west side and
corn fields on the opposite side of Cleveland many deer cross this short
section of road. We also get motorcycles that travel at speeds way over the
speed limit.
Driveway Approaches-The driveways on the east side of the road drop off
to lower ground. This makes the entrance onto CR 40 dangerous because it
X9.2 AT1 SPEED CHANGE
creates limited site lines to oncoming traffic. Many of these residents
frequently pull horse, boat, and work trailers making this entrance to the
road difficult.
Impact to travel time-The time increase for a car to travel the distance
when the speed is changed to 45 mph is approximately 16 seconds. This
small increase in travel time is negligible compared to the potential benefit
to the safety of so many.
X9.2 AT1 SPEED CHANGE