7.1. SR 05-05-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Residential neighborhoods are more likely to experience diverting traffic from other local residents and /or businesses that are familiar with the roadway network and know how to link from one neighborhood to the next. Most through traffic will not have the patience to figure out a route that would get them to where they want to go in a timeframe that would make it worth the effort. Improvements identified by MnDOT, the County and the City for US 169 and US 10 will address a majority of these concerns. Additionally, if the County and City develop other continuous routes, there will be opportunities for local traffic to avoid US 169 and US 10. Providing opportunities for local trips will free up capacity on MnDOT's roadways, thereby improving traffic flow and resulting in less diversion. The proposed functional classification map shown in the last section of this chapter identifies potential collector and arterial routes that could be developed to help address the issue. Lack of Continuous North -South and East -West Routes (arterials and collectors) The City of Elk River has been noted as having few continuous north -south and east -west routes. This lack of continuous routes is a result of natural barriers as well as the development patterns that have occurred over time. As noted above, much of the City's development has come in small sections at a time, has been more rural in nature, and has been constrained by the BNSF Railway, the Mississippi River and other resources in the area. At this time, it will be quite challenging to provide good continuity in areas that have already mostly /fully developed. There may be some limited opportunities to provide better connectivity than what exists today in locations with some existing development (but not fully developed), but there will be impacts to homes and businesses in these locations. The City should use the opportunity when it updates its transportation plan to identify new north -south 58 / Chapter 6: Transportation Elk River Comprehensive Plan and east -west connections in areas where there is limited development today. This will ensure a more even distribution to traffic in the northern half of the community and provide for better connectivity over the long -term. Coordination with Sherburne County will be key to the success of these efforts. The proposed functional classification map identifies potential collector and arterial routes that could be developed to help address connectivity needs. Some of the proposed changes shown on the map are included because Sherburne County's transportation plan identified new connections or modifications to the roadway status. A few of the county's proposed changes include new alignments through public areas such as parks. Coordination and discussion between the county and the city will occur before any new roadways are constructed. The discussion between the agencies will include ways to minimize impacts to existing land uses. Non - Motorized Transportation Facilities and System The City of Elk River recognizes that a number of systems make up the transportation network, and that not all of them involve the use of single occupant vehicles on the roadway. As shown in Figure 6 -6, there are a limited number of sidewalk and trail facilities within the community and they do not form a cohesive system at this time. Like the roadway system, lack of continuous sidewalk and trail routes will hamper the mobility of pedestrians and bicyclists, result in safety problems (sometimes there is no space to walk /ride when the system suddenly ends and opportunities are limited for those with physical disabilities) and limit system users (who wants to use a system that does not link to anything ?). The City has begun to address the existing deficiencies by requiring new developments to include construction of either sidewalks or trails as part of their plans. In addition, the City has also identified a number of new sidewalk and trail connections that serve as links between neighborhoods, recreational areas, downtown Elk River, and along key