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8.3. SR 08-23-1993 e ITEM 8.3. _ / ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ CONSULTING ENGINEERS ~_I Maier Stewart & Associates Inc. August 19, 1993 File: 230-175-20 Mr. Pat Klaers City Administrator City of Elk . River 13065 Orono Parkway Elk River, MN 55330 RE: SCHOOL STREET/JACKSON AVENUE INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS Dear Mr. Klaers: e Back on July 20, 1993, we met with Elk River School District staff regarding their thoughts on the upgrading of the intersection of School Street and Jackson Avenue. I summarized that meeting in a letter dated July 26, 1993, a copy of which is attached. It is my understanding that the School Board took up this issue at their August 10, 1993, regular meeting. I believe that it was the consensus of the School District to agree with School District staff in that they would prefer to have any intersection improvement completed in 1994 rather than 1993. As you are aware, the two biggest issues that the School District is concerned about are the movement of pedestrian traffic along and across a wider School Street and the moving vehicle and bus traffic in and out of their facilities with a wider School Street. The City's desire for ultimately having a four-lane facility on School Street versus the School District's desire for a three-lane road have been discussed, although no consensus has been reached at this time. This is probably the major reason that the School District would prefer a 1994 project such that they can complete their planning process and also have more time to work with the City relative to their desires for a three-lane roadway. I have tried to contact Mr. Mike Gorman of Barton Aschman, the School District's traffic consultant, to discuss this issue. However, I have been unable to reach him because he is on vacation. At this point in time, I would recommend to the City of Elk River to delay this project until 1994 for a number of reasons as follows: 1. Given the late time of the year, to proceed at this point in time, we would likely end up with a situation at School and Jackson very similar to the intersection of Main and 169 last year; that is, the first lift of blacktop would be down but the road would be in a partially completed state until the spring of 1994. e 1959 SLOAN PLACE. SUITE 200. ST. PAUL. MINNESOTA 55117 612-774-6021 9800 SHELARD PARKWAY. SUITE 102, MINNEAPOLIS. MINNESOTA 55441 512-546-0432 · Equal Opportunity Employer TJM:tp 175-1910.aug e Mr. Pat Klaers August 19, 1993 Page Two 2. As the City is well aware from previous projects, there is quite a time line involved in the ordering and installation of traffic signal equipment. By postponing the project until 1994 would allow us to have an early spring bid and award of contract. This would allow the contractor to order the equipment relatively early in the process. It is likely that no actual construction would be allowed until after school is closed for the summer in June. Hopefully, by this time the contractor would already have his signal equipment and would be able to complete the project, including the signal installation, in a relatively short period of time. If the project were to proceed yet this fall, it is unlikely that the signal would be operational before January or February of 1994. 3. Because of the widening of the road to a four-lane facility regardless of whether it is striped for three or four lanes, and the relatively narrow (66-foot) right-of-way, there are a number of issues with other utilities such as gas, electric, and telephone, that need to be addressed. By postponing the project until 1994, we again could bid the project early in the year and allow these utility companies six to eight weeks prior to construction beginning to make their improvements and be out of the way before the contractor starts any work on the street. This will make a much better project relative to disruption, than to attempt to get all of this work done at the same time in the fall of 1993. e 4. I believe that if we postpone the project until 1994 but continue to work on it, the City staff would be able to coordinate activities with the School District staff, hopefully reaching a consensus on the type of roadway striping and design prior to building the project. I believe this is a better situation than proceeding with a project that at this point the School District is relatively skeptical of. We have attempted thus far to reach some type of consensus with the School District; however, their planning process is not far enough along to discuss some of these issues with any degree of certainty. In conclusion, we believe that the negatives associated with proceeding with this improvement project in 1993 far outweigh any benefit that may be gained. We would again recommend that the process continue but that the goal be to complete the design with the consensus of the School District sometime in early 1994, bid the project, and award it by approximately March 1994, allowing the contractor to order equipment and the various utility companies to make improvements such that the Contractor can begin construction by mid-June 1994 and complete the project by mid-August. If you have any questions regarding these issues, I will be in attendance at your August 23, 1993, City Council meeting. Sincerely, MAIER STEWART & ASSOCIATES, INC. .~~ TIM:tp 175-1910.aug . . . . .. f CONSULTING ENGINEERS Maier Stewart & Associates Inc. July 26, 1993 File: 230-175-20 Mr. Pat Klaers City Administrator City of Elk River P.O. Box 490 13065 Orono Parkway Elk River, MN 55330 RE: SCHOOL STREET/JACKSON AVENUE INTERSECTION Dear Mr. Klaers: Last Thesday, July 20, 1993, I met with the Elk River School District regarding the City's plans for upgrading and signalizing the intersection of School Street and Jackson Avenue. In attendance at the meeting were Dr. David Flannery, Mr. Lloyd Brutlag, Ms. Vera Bergoyn, and Mr. Mike Gorman from BRW, Inc., the School District's traffic engineer. At the meeting, I briefly reviewed the construction plans for the upgrading of the intersection, including the signalization. I indicated the City felt that a 4-lane roadway was the best long-term solution for the traffic problems on School Street. The School District has serious reservations regarding a 4-lane facility on School Street. Their concerns are two- fold: first, they have a great concern about school children crossing a 4-lane road between Jackson Avenue and Highway 169 in the location of the two elementary schools. Their second concern is the difficulty of getting bus and vehicle traffic from the parking lots out onto a 4-lane facility. Mr. Gorman has been hired by the School District to analyze their overall transportation needs. This includes looking at internal routing of future roads, timing of vehicle traffic, and possible pedestrian and! or vehicle signalization on School Street. Dr. Flannery also indicated the School District is considering some changes in the High School/Junior IDgh alignment which may have an impact on the traffic on School Street. Decisions relative to these potential changes will not be known until early next year. I indicated that the City's current plans would not preclude the potential for a 3-lane rather than a 4-lane design along School Street. We discussed that a 3-lane design would likely be of simil~r width to a 4-lane design, only with a different striping configuration. I asked Dr. Flannery what his desire would be, given two options: the first to proceed with the City's plans to upgrade the intersection as designed, and consider the upgrading of the overall length of School Street and Jackson Avenue at a later date, or the second alternative, to put the current plans on the shelf, allow the School District time to go through their planning process, and come back with a 1994 project which hopefully would meet both the goals of the City and the School District. Dr. Flannery's choice would be the latter, that is to wait until 1994. He indicated he would take an 1959 SLOAN PlACE. SUITE 200. Sf. PAUL. MINNESOtl' 55117 612-n~ 9800 SHELARO PARKWAY. SUITE 102. MINNEAPOLIS. MINNESOTA 55441 612-546-04G2. Equal Opportunity Employer 1\. J , Mr. Pat K1aers July 26, 1993 Page Two informal poll of the School Board members and try to get an official response from them at their next School Board meeting. I indicated to Dr. Flannery that I would report back to you, but felt that no decision would be made until Dr. Flannery bad an opportunity to solicit input from the School Board members and pass it on to the City. If you have any questions regarding this information, please call. Sincerely, MAIER STEWART & ASSOCIATES, INC. 5j1/(~ Terry J. :Maurer, P.E. TJM:tp e 17S-260S.jul e.