9.0. SR 07-10-2006
Item 9.
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Terry Maurer, City Engineer~
DATE: July 10, 2006
SUBJECT: Update on Various Transportation Issues
The following is a quick update on various transportation issues that the Engineering
Department is continuing to work on. At Monday evening's meeting, I will be in attendance
for more detailed discussion on any of these issues.
1. School Street/Jackson Avenue Intersection Analysis
We are currently fInishing up our analysis on the intersection geometries at School Street
and J ackson Avenue, as previously authorized by the City Council. Our initial findings
appear to indicate that adding left turn arrows on all four legs and dedicated left turn
lanes on Jackson Avenue north and south is a workable solution. The levels of service in
the a.m. and p.m. peak hour and the school peak hour appear to be well within
reasonable ranges. The one small negative is that by combining southbound Jackson
through and right turn movements in order to get a dedicated left turn, there is a fairly
large queue in the morning due to school traffic. We will be completing our report in
the next couple of weeks and look for an opportunity to update the City Council in more
detail and get direction on how to proceed.
2. Highland Road Improvement
. The preconstruction meeting for the Highland Road Improvement Project was held a
couple of weeks ago and the contractor is scheduled to begin on Monday, July 10, 2006.
Attached is a copy of the newsletter that was sent to all the affected property owners.
These include properties adjacent to Highland Road and those that are dependent on
Highland Road for accessing their individual homes. We are working with the
contractor, Bauerly Brothers, Inc., on a Change Order for the addition of sanitary sewer
at the west end. When that Change Order is complete, we will present it to the City
Council for direction on how to proceed.
Transportation Issues Update
July 10, 2006
Page 2
3. 2005 Street Reconstruction Project
As you may be aware, the fmal bitwninous paving has not yet been placed on the 2005
Street Reconstruction Project in the area of 5th Street, Tipton and Upland Avenues. This
is due to the fact that Universal Enterprises of Mid-Minnesota, our general contractor
for this project, went out of business this spring. We have been working with the
bonding company for Universal Enterprises for the past several weeks and have recently
reached agreement wherein they will hire Hardrives, Inc., another paving contractor, to
finish the project. We have been in contact with Hardrives' representative relative to the
scheduling and the punch list work that is necessary to complete the project. We
anticipate that the project will be completed within the next 30 days.
Universal Enterprises of Mid-Minnesota was also the contractor for the Public Works
Paving Project. We have been working with the same bonding company to get
Hardrives to complete this paving also. We anticipate that this project will be completed
in a similar time frame.
4. 193rd Avenue Corridor
Since the last time that we formally discussed this project with the City Council and were
given direction regarding the preferred alternative, we have been gathering additional
topographic information, identifying and delineating wetlands and other significant
topographic features. We have also engaged Howard Roston with Malkerson, Gi11i1and,
Martin, LLP to help the City with the land acquisition process, and Jason Messner, an
appraiser with Patchin, Messner, and Dodd Appraisals. Sometime in early August, we
anticipate being prepared to make a formal presentation to the City Council relative to
the alignment of the chosen alternative and its effects on the various properties. Along
with that presentation, Mr. Roston will provide a written update as to recent changes in
the eminent domain law and brief outline of the process the City will need to go through
to acquire the necessary right-of-way. Mr. Messner is working on a ballpark estimate for
the land acquisition cost, in an effort to better fine-tune the first estimate that was
presented at a previous Council meeting.
As we proceed in detailing a preliminary design of the chosen alternative, we have had
several meetings and phone conversations with the property owners directly affected by
the road alignment. We will continue to work closely with these property owners and
share with them our findings so that they will have working knowledge of the
information we will be presenting to the City Council in the future.
5. School Street/H.S. Driveway Signalization
The contractor for the signalization of the high school parking lot entrance at School
Street is beginning work on the placement of pedestals and wiring, along with the minor
modifications to the high school driveway entrance. We are also working with the
contractor hired by the school district who will be relocating the welcome center at the
high school parking lot entrance further back into the school property to allow for better
traffic flow into and out of the parking lot. All of the signal equipment has been
ordered, although we have not yet been given a tentative delivery date. Once the
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Transportation Issues Update
July 10, 2006
Page 3
equipment is delivered to the site, the installation and startup of the signal will take
approximately two days.
6. Railroad Crossing Upgrades
As the City Council may have been informed, the railroad crossing of Proctor Avenue is
scheduled to be reconstructed starting the week of July 10th. Proctor Avenue will be
closed for some period of time to allow the railroad company's crews time to fully
reconstruct this crossing.
At the same time, I have been contacted by Crystal Rossel of BNSF regarding the
railroad crossing on 165th Avenue. The two tracks that cross 165th Avenue currently
have one with a concrete crossing while the second line is an old timber crossing, which
is scheduled for maintenance this year. Ms. Rosse! has contacted me regarding the City's
interest in having the second crossing upgraded to concrete planks. In order to do this,
the railroad company has asked the City to participate in the cost at $12,800, which is
approximately 1/3 of the total cost of the upgrade. Attached are a couple of emails from
Ms. Rosse! and a sample Crossing Surface Installation Agreement. I will be looking for
direction from the City Council on whether or not you are interested in participating at
the $12,800 level in order to get the timber crossing upgraded to concrete. As the
Council is aware, this is the main access to the Youth Athletic Complex area.
7. MnDOT Property off of 17Sth Avenue
MnDOT has contacted the City regarding the potential use of the 20-acre parcel they
own north of 175th Avenue for granular fill material to be used for the Otsego (THl0l)
interchange project. We have been communicating with MnDOT's Materials Engineer
relative to the amount of truck traffic and the hours of operation that are to be expected
with the use of this property. At this point, MnDOT still does not have a firm handle
on their contractor's planned use of this property. As the Council may be aware, the
City cannot require MnDOT to obtain a mineral excavation permit, but it does appear
that MnDOT will be willing to keep the City informed of planned operation and try to
minimize disruption by dedicated haul roads and times of operation.
At the end of this project, MnDOT expects this parcel of land to be completely used up,
relative to granular fill and therefore, of little use to MnDOT in the future. They have
inquired as to the City's interest in acquiring that 20-acre parcel of land after their use is
complete. I have indicated that the City would be interested in acquiring the land,
knowing that its condition would be a relatively large hole. I have indicated that the City
would want the side slopes of the hole to be left in a safe condition and any potential
erosion possibilities addressed. I have also indicated that the City would likely not be
interested in paying any significant amount of money for the parcel, especially given the
condition it would be in. MnDOT has indicated they would likely be able to convey the
property to the City at little or no cost. We will keep the City Council updated as this
issue proceeds.
$: \Engineer\2006 CC memos \ Transportation update 7 -10-06.doc
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Transportation Issues Update
July 10, 2006
Page 4
8. Proctor Avenue/Main Street All Way Stop
The temporary all way stop that was installed at Proctor Avenue and Main Street due to
the downtown construction seems to be operating fairly well. I have been requested by
the Police Chief to ask the City Council's interest in making the all way stop a permanent
installation at this intersection. A review of the 2003 traffic counts indicates that there
are approximately 5,000 - 6,000 trips a day on Main and approximately 3,000 trips a day
on Proctor Avenue. These counts will be redone next year on the regular four-year
cycle. However, with traffic counts in these ranges and close proximity to each other, it
would be my opinion that an all way stop sign warrant analysis would indicate that an all
way stop sign installation could be warranted at the intersection. If the Council agrees
with this, I will move forward to put a formal action on an upcoming consent agenda to
make the all way stop at Proctor Avenue and Main Street a permanent installation.
9. Sherburne County Transportation Plan Update
I have discussed with John Mentor, Sherburne County Public Works Director, the
possibility of having a City of Elk River meeting with the County's consultant for the
update of their transportation plan. Mr. Menter is willing to facilitate such a meeting. I
have indicated that I will forward to him a list of City staff and elected officials who
would attend and a proposed agenda of topics to be discussed. I am looking for one or
two City Council volunteers to participate in this meeting. I would suspect that Mr.
Menter would prefer to set the meeting up on a date when his consultant is at Sherburne
County doing other business, possibly a later afternoon meeting of 1 -2 hours.
10. 2007 Street Reconstruction Projects
We are currently beginning preliminary work on estimating potential construction costs
and identifying assessable properties in two areas that will be brought forward for City
Council consideration for 2007 Street Reconstruction Projects. The two areas are the
Deerfield 3rd Addition and the local streets lying east of Jackson Avenue between School
Street and Railroad Drive. In the next 60 - 90 days, after the 2005 Street Project is
completed, we will bring forward this item for discussion and authorization to begin
work on either or both of these areas.
11. Engineering Technicians
Now that the City's pay plan analysis is nearing completion, I have been working with
Lauren Wipper to advertise for engineering technicians. Once we have identified one or
two candidates for these positions, we will bring them forward for City Council
approval. I have also been working with Lori Johnson, City Administrator, and other
department heads to identify a work priority schedule for the new engineering technician
positions. I will report to the Council formally on this issue as we move the hiring
process forward
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Transportation Issues Update
July 10, 2006
Page 5
12. Computerized Pavement Management System
One of the items that engineering technicians would be working on through the winter
months would be computerizing our pavement management system, so that we would
have a formalized objective system of tracking when streets were constructed or
maintained and when streets need minor or major attention. Our plan is to acquire the
same software that is used by most of the counties and many cities in the State. It has a
long track record and there is ample opportunities for help with all of the cities currently
using the software. It is my hope that by the 2008 assessable overlay projects, we will
have streets recommended based on objective parameters from a computerized
pavement management software program.
13. TH 169 Study
City Administrator Lori Johnson and I have had meetings with Craig Robinson, the
MnDOT Project Manager for 1H 169. It does not appear that MnDOT and the City
will be able to come to an agreement for the City to fund the study of 1H 169 . We have
conftrmed that Municipal State Aid monies could be utilized for the study, however, the
two large stumbling blocks are the ability to cap the City's investment at a million dollars
or less. Mr. Robinson has informed us that he does not believe 1H 169 willrequire an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) but would not know that for sure until work was
begun on the study. If an EIS is required, the cost of the study would rise significantly.
The only suggestion Mr. Robinson had was that the City could end the study if an EIS
were required, rather than to commit more funds. The other large stumbling block is
MnDOT has no way to commit to future credit for the City's investment in the study
against any cost participation the City may have in constructing interchanges along 1H
169. I have asked Mr. Robinson to put MnDOT's positions on these various issues in
writing and will bring this item back on a future City Council agenda for more detailed
discussion and ftnal determination by the City Council on how to proceed.
14. 2006 Bituminous Overlay Project
The preconstruction meeting for the 2006 Overlay Project is scheduled for Thursday of
this week. Two items I want to report back on from the public hearing/assessment is
the horse trail on 213th Avenue. I have reviewed the situation with Phil Hals and Mark
Thompson. There is a series of fairly large power poles along the south side which
certainly cannot be moved for a trail. However, by moving the pavement slightly to the
north and minor amount of construction, it appears that the City's Street Department
will be able to facilitate a 3 - 4 foot wide gravel horse trail. The other area in question
from the public hearing! assessment hearing is the Ridgewood area. I have contacted the
Ridgewood Homeowner's Association President to inform him that Phil Hals and I are
available to meet with him whenever he is ready to discuss various issues throughout the
Ridgewood area.
S:\Engineer\2006 CC memos \ Transportation update 7 -lO-06.doc
~ CITY OF
Efi<.\::r~ Elk River
River
2006 Highland Road Project
Construction Notes
Issue No.1 - June 27, 2006
Following several months of planning, bids were opened for the Highland Road Project May 25,
2006, with Baurley Brothers Inc, as the low bidder. This newsletter is to inform residents within
the area of the proposed construction schedule and progress.
Proposed Construction
. The project involves the reconstruction of Highland Road from Proctor to Jackson to a
32 foot wide urban section with curb and gutter, a 6 foot concrete walk on the north
side of the road and a 10 foot bituminous trail along the south side of the road.
Sanitary sewer will be installed along the length of the road and sewer and water
services extended to the right of way for future connection by homeowners in the future
when they wish to do so.
Tentative Schedule
The Contractor anticipates beginning the project on Monday July 10, 2006. At that time the
bituminous road will be milled. The road will be closed to all thru traffic. Access will be
maintained for residents at all times. The Contractor will start construction of the project on the
east end installing sanitary sewer which ranges in depth from 10 to 20 feet. Once the sewer is
installed the water and sanitary services will be extended to the right of way line. Storm
sewer will be installed next and finally curb and gutter, pavement, trail and sidewalk.
The project schedule includes an interim competition date for traffic to be restored /'
along Highland Road from Jackson Street to Salk School by the time school starts II;jfjI;'l
and substantial completion of the construction by the end of October 2006. The final '. , lift
of pavement will be placed in 2007. As with any construction work, the schedule and completion
of the project will be somewhat dependent on the weather. We ask for your patience with
weather delays throughout this project.
Sewer and Water Service Locations
As part of the contract we will extend sewer and water services to the right of way line for each
home along Highland Road. The sanitary sewer service is a 4" PVC pipe and the water service is
a 1" copper pipe. In order to facilitate future connection to your private plumbing please take a
look at the plumbing inside your home and determine a location along the right of way you would
like to have the service extended to. You may wish to contact a sewer and water contractor and
get recommendations for this location. The Project Inspector will be providing wooden stakes
painted blue and green to each property to place indicating your preference. Keep in mind tree
locations and other obstacles you may encounter in your yard when you place these stakes.
~ ~~c~~~~~~
~ CITY OF
Elk\r.:J Elk River
River
2006 Highland Road Project
Construction Notes
Private Irriaation systems
The construction work involves much excavation within the road right of way. If you have an
irrigation system in place, please locate the sprinkler heads and valves along the road. Contact
the Project Inspector and let him know when they are located. If you system appears to be in the
way of construction the inspector will notify you and ask that you remove the heads and shut
down the zone in your system that is affected. The City of Elk River will reimburse the
homeowners for cost involved in relocating irrigation systems impacted by construction or
repairing damaged systems as a result of the construction. You need to provide the Project
Engineer with a written estimate for the work for approval prior to contracting for the work
privately. We recommend that the repair or relocation work not be undertaken until the sod has
been installed in order to avoid any future damage. Please contact the City Engineer for more
detailed information on this policy.
Private Driveway Work
We have discussed private driveway work with the contractor and they tell us their construction
schedule for the summer does not allow for them to take on more work. If you are interested in
constructing a whole new driveway during the course of construction please discuss this with the
Project Inspector. He can give you information on when would be the best time to schedule this
work.
Questions
Kevin Burns, Project Inspector, at (651) 271-6584 Kevin.Burns@BDMCE.com
John Anderson, Project Engineer, at (763) 635-1052 JoAnderson@ci.elk-river.mn.us
Terry Maurer, City Engineer at (763) 635-1051 tmaurer@ci.elk-river.mn.us
Feel free to talk to these individuals about issues or concerns you may have about the project
We urge you to use caution around the work site. Your assistance in reminding area children to
~ stay clear of construction equipment is helpful in maintaining a safe environment. Your
~ patience and cooperation during this construction will be appreciated. Please let your
children know the survey stakes represent valuable information and should not be
disturbed. Help us work efficiently, If we need to restake because the survey stakes are removed
it just takes that much longer to complete our work.
M ~~[]~~~~~~
Message
Page 1 of2
Maurer, Terry
From: Rossel, Crystal M [CrystaI.Rossel@BNSF.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 3:44 PM
To: Maurer, Terry
Subject: RE: BNSF Crossing Surface Maintenance and Upgrades through Elk River, MN
Terry:
I do not have anything on record that says the City had any contribution toward the new surface on Main 2 at
165th Avenue. This project was done as part of a tie program and was not originally programmed for concrete.
While the tie gang was doing rehab work near the Main 2 track, there may have been a discovery that there were
some structural issues at the crossing that required concrete to help stabilize the crossing.
As mentioned in my first e-mail.MainLine1isonthepreliminarylistfor2006.However.this does not mean that
the crossing will get a new concrete surface. If maintenance budgets are depleted prior to the upgrade at the
crossing, then the Railroad would simply perform the maintenance work required for railroad operations. So, if
the crossing is not upgraded at this time, there is no saying when it would be on the maintenance list again. The
only way to guarantee an upgrade during the maintenance year at a reduced participation rate is to cost-share
with the Railroad for the work.
Please let me know if you need any additional information prior to your July 10th Council Meeting. I look forward
to hearing from you - thanks!
-Crystal
-----Original Message-----
From: Maurer, Terry [mailto:TMaurer@ci.elk-river.mn.us]
Sent: Wednesday, June 28,2006 11:06 AM
To: Rossel, Crystal M
Subject: RE: BNSF Crossing Surface Maintenance and Upgrades through Elk River, MN
Crystal,
I have reviewed this draft agreement with our City Administrator and taken a look at the crossing. She has
asked me to put it on the next City Council agenda for the meeting on July 10th. Do you know when the
one crossing was upgraded with concrete, why both weren't done at that time and what was the City's
participation in the cost of that upgrade? This information will help me prepare my Request for Council
Action for the 10th meeting
Terry Maurer.
From: Rossel, Crystal M [mailto:CrystaI.Rossel@BNSF.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 2:48 PM
To: Maurer, Terry
Cc: Crystal M. Rossel
Subject: BNSF Crossing Surface Maintenance and Upgrades through Elk River, MN
Mr. Maurer:
I am sending you this letter as additional information regarding the proposed work to be done by BNSF
Railway (BNSF) maintenance crews on an at-grade crossing in the City of Elk River that is currently on the
Preliminary Maintenance List for 2006. This crossing is located at 165th Avenue NW (DOT# 082938M).
BNSF identifies maintenance corridors on a yearly basis. The Railroad identifies these corridors based on
7/5/2006
Message
Page 2 of2
maintenance that is required on their tracks. Because BNSF forces have identified specific areas within the
vicinity of the City of Elk River that require maintenance, they have realized that this creates an opportunity
for communities to take advantage of having a railroad maintenance gang already mobilized in the area.
When a Public Agency agrees to cost-participate with the Railroad in order to upgrade existing surfaces
that fall along the maintenance corridor, the Railroad is able to access separate funding outside of their
maintenance budget. Because these funds are not included in their maintenance budget, they cannot
guarantee upgrades without cost-participation because the appropriated maintenance funds may be
expended prior to the upgrading of railroad crossings within the corridor.
Sometimes, the required maintenance is with the track structure below the crossing surface. In these
cases, BNSF would plan to remove the existing surface, perform the required structural maintenance, and
then re-install the existing surface. When crossings are upgraded to concrete, the Railroad removes the
existing surface and ties, and replaces the surface with 8' pre-cast concrete panels. They place 10' ties
under the crossing to better support these panels. The Railroad also puts in additional subballast (if
needed) for a stronger track structure, and performs the approach work on either side of the tracks to
restore the roadway surface to be at least in the condition it was before the railroad surface was replaced.
For the above-referenced crossing in the City of Elk River, the Railroad is strictly asking for a monetary
contribution. The asphalting, striping, and traffic control are all covered under the scope of work in the
agreement, and therefore is not a separate issue in the agreement. Sometimes, BNSF asks the agency for
assistance with traffic control (Le., providing barricades, setting up a detour route); some agencies prefer to
be involved in that matter, but it would be an issue verbally agreed upon by the agency and the BNSF
Roadmaster shortly before the work is to begin.
The approximate total cost of installing a concrete surface is $1,200 per lineal foot of crossing width.
Because the Railroad forces will already be mobilized, BNSF is willing to offer a cost participation rate of
$400 per lineal foot from the community. The above-referenced crossing totals 32 lineal feet in crossing
width that has been identified for possible upgrading to a concrete surface. The total contribution requested
of your community is $12,800.
I have attached a copy of a crossing surface agreement for your further review. Please contact me at
651/292-4632 with any questions. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you!
Crystal M. Rossel
Acting Manager Public Projects
phone: (763) 782-3468
fax: (763) 782-3061
<<maurer -cmr -elkriver -sampleagmt.doc>>
7/5/2006
LAW DEPARTMENT APPROVED
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CROSSING SURFACE INSTALLATION AGREEMENT
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effective as of , 200-, by and between the CITY OF .:.. ..
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WHEREAS, Company operates a freight transportation system by rai
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ill maintain, at its own cost and expense, the crossing surface in a satisfactory
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Form 0108 Rev. 01120/05
LAW DEPARTMENT APPROVED
FOR TKDA USE ONLY
5. Term. This Agreement begins on the effective date set forth above and remains in effect until
completion of all work contemplated in this Agreement and Agency's payment of the amounts set forth in
Section 2 above.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed and attested by
its duly qualified and authorized officials as of the day and year first written abov
COMPANY:
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