6.4. SR 10-03-2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Westbound Orono Pkwy left turn lane to Hudson St. looking west 200' to eastbound traffic. • West public safety building driveway exit, looking west 400' at eastbound Orono -Pkwy traffic. • East fire station driveway exit looking 400' west at eastbound Orono Pkwy traffic. • City hall driveway exit looking 400' west at eastbound Orono Pkwy traffic. • Elk River Public Library driveway exit looking 400' east at westbound Orono Pkwy traffic. In addition to the known distance photos, I took photos from the 3.5' elevation of various makes and models of vehicles traveling on Orono Parkway. One of the most significant locations was from the library driveway and median cut out which receives significant daily vehicular traffic. In several of the photos only the top roof line of the vehicles is visible. I took measurements of the plant height along the median strip. Plant height ranged from 12 inches to 58 inches with the typical height at approximately 36 inches. With an additional curb/median height of 5 inches the overall median plant height is approximately 41 inches, placing it very close to the typical driver's line of sight. The height of the median plants, in conjunction with the various roadway curves, does present site line obstructions; particularly when drivers of compact cars are attempting to view approaching compact cars. It is my opinion that the median plantings as they currently exist do create a traffic hazard for motorists using Orono Parkway near the city hall campus. Permanent hazard mitigation options may include: • Mowing the median strips mid July after plant bloom and near the end of October. • Create plant "cut outs" at various locations along the median to enhance driver visibility, (currently median end caps are only cut back several feet). • Completely remove current native plantings and replace with lower- growing species, pavers, or other pavement. In the short term, I was informed by staff at Prairie Restoration Project, Princeton, MN, that mowing the median strips now that the bloom season is over will not adversely affect the health of the native plants for next year. This short term fix will allow Council and staff time to work on a long term solution to this public safety concern.