4.5. SR 08-01-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PO Box 16269 St. Louis Park, MN 55416 888-232-5512 www.SpackConsulting.com  Technical Memorandum To: Justin Femrite, PE, City of Elk River City Engineer From: Bryant Ficek, P.E., P.T.O.E. Date: July 22, 2016 Re: Traffic Operations Study Addendum – Line Avenue Corridor A study of the Line Avenue corridor, dated June 15, 2016, examined the traffic implications of modifications to that corridor between the intersection with Main Street/181st Avenue and Twin Lakes Road. This study and its results were presented to the City Council and discussed most recently at a workshop meeting on July 18, 2016. The direction of the Council from that meeting was to disconnect Line Avenue between its intersections with 3rd Street and with 5th Street. As noted in the June 15, 2016 report, the left turn movement on Line Avenue at the Twin Lakes Road intersection is expected to have unacceptable traffic operations under this scenario. The purpose of this memorandum is to examine the Line Avenue/Twin Lakes Road intersection to determine if the expected operations can be improved. Conclusions A single-lane roundabout is expected to provide the best traffic operations for the Line Avenue/Twin Lakes Road intersection. A roundabout would improve safety by eliminating the opportunity for head-on or ‘T- bone’ crashes at the intersection. The roundabout would also provide a calming effect on traffic, slowing speeds through the intersection. Based upon this result, a roundabout is recommended for construction at the intersection in conjunction with the disconnect of Line Avenue between the 3rd Street and 5th Street intersections. A formal justification report for the roundabout may be necessary for documentation with the County and/or the State Aid Office of the Minnesota Department of Transportation. If the roundabout is not able to be constructed in conjunction with the disconnect, all-way stop control may be appropriate as a short-term solution until the roundabout could be built. A formal justification report may be necessary to document this decision. In addition, the change from side-street stop to all- way stop requires notification to drivers of the change. This often occurs in the form of orange warning signs, red flags, and/or changeable message signs on the mainline to warn of the traffic control change.