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2B M MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2003 LOCAL NEWS W W W.TWINCITIES.COM • ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS
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<br /> Road upgradegets close andpersonal - ;:rN1,Mpg up - T i
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<br /> One year after Jennifer front,side and back of some res- County Road 9 is a major § ,r ,^ ,�,,�G„-„�
<br /> Coughlin bought her idential properties. north-south route that brings -- Y_•• '' ` a„orm:Awn "•`'...
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<br /> Andover home on Round Lake Some neighbors feel the commuters south to U.S.10.The ! . ,- - ,.w. _ _. .
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<br /> Boulevard, she learned that highway would be a bit too close traffic volume on the road, , ' :• i�; _ -- `:,,‘" 7:•-',:'- �”
<br /> Anoka County wants to expand for comfort. ' ,.4 �w ., _
<br /> which handles 18,000 vehicles aT :.<w ''�' ,� -,•T
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<br /> the road—into her front yard. County officials agree the day at 139th Avenue,is expected '�; --”' -r--=- '' ---...f,!,-By her estimation,just about highway would be closer to peo- to double over 20 years. - "-"-'"' ,, , ., `
<br /> half of her yard will be taken so ple's homes than they would "Twelve thousand(vehicles a ,.' ' sr" .; r.,
<br /> the countycould widen Round like. The highway would put day) is when our two-lane road- :,..-7444414--' `` .1.;.,,,&'''
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<br /> Lake/County Road 9, between about 17 properties out of corn- ways runs out of steam," said T O N I COLEMAN 1'" ` - '
<br /> 139th Avenue and 149th Avenue. pliance with the minimum set- Doug Fischer,county engineer. Pioneer Press Columnist " �. - ""•' , r - .•~���''- - - '
<br /> It would go from a two-lane back of 40 feet set by the city of Andover resident Michael SCOTT TAKUSHI,PIONEER PRESS
<br /> rural road to a four-lane divided Andover, and some would have McLean thinks the project is Jennifer Coughlin and her daughter, Mariah, 6, stand in
<br /> highway,replete with right-and to be bought in their entirety necessary."From where we live should take into account resi- front of their Andover home by a stick that marks-the-approxi--
<br /> left-turn lanes and a bike trail. because the highway would be north,it's growing by leaps and dents' quality of life. "All we're mate curb location of a soon-to-be-expanded Round Lake Boule-
<br /> She and neighbors are learn- dangerously close. bounds. They're going to have saying is we're a neighborhood. yard/County Road 9.Coughlin estimates that about half of her yard
<br /> ing that 20 feet or more of their County officials say the $4.3 to do something," said McLean, They don't want to talk about will be lost so the road can be widened.Coughlin's house is at left
<br /> front yards is actually county million upgrade is necessary to whose back yard abuts Round safety,noise and speed,"Cough- and County Road 9 is at right. -
<br /> right of way. In other cases, accommodate projected traffic Lake Boulevard.Left-turn lanes lin said. Parallel arterials like
<br /> there's not enough county prop- growth resulting from the hous- will help ease backups that now Minnesota 47 should be upgrad- Officials are assessing what Anoka road work
<br /> erty to expand the road and ing boom in northern and north- occur when a motorist attempt- ed first,she said. impact taking a certain amount
<br /> install utilities, so the county western communities. For ing to turn left blocks traffic Fischer agrees Minnesota 47 of land will have on the remain- Anoka County plans to widen
<br /> Ile wants to purchase or take instance, Andover's population behind him should be upgraded. But, he ing property. The county would County Road 9/Round take Blvd.
<br /> through eminent domain has grown 800 to 1,000 people But Coughlin and her neigh- added, "it doesn't eliminate the purchase properties that lose four-lane
<br /> from a hi hwlane y fal road to a
<br /> ghhway from 139th
<br /> between 10 and 30 feet from the annually during the past decade, bors say the traffic isn't heavy need to improve County Road 9. substantial value because of the Avenue to 149th Avenue.
<br /> and St. Francis has added 500 enough to warrant the kind of They both need improvement." project. In cases where they're
<br /> people in each of the past four or damage to their properties the "My roads have seen a lot of taking a small amount of land, ^>,4'' • - - •*:;''' -449 Ave
<br /> five years,city officials said. highway would cause. The lack traffic for a lot of different rea- officials use today's market value ANOKA - � ,.. _ 1
<br /> of yard space would hinder their sons. I'm not building the roads to determine the amount they COUNTY ;"`s'''.:,,,::2,-;:::.?',.', > .
<br /> ability to build on their proper- to add to growth.The growth has should reimburse the owner for , ' -',.:t.',-,1.,,,,,, 1
<br /> ties. Coughlin's back yard is already occurred,"Fischer said, the loss in property value. a, ., :<
<br /> Round Lake, so she's limited in Driveway access is a casual Because there's enough pub- . st• , `"' • t4.+. YEt
<br /> what she can do. ty in this project, but it would lic property in Coughlin's " Pail*`4-�"•; :`,• •`�✓"`'`,
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<br /> Neighbors worry that with improve safety; he said- The yard, the county needs to only r-;,', ',:.-•Y-,` ,':,:'
<br /> - the highway in such close rox- fewer access pointsyou have, purchase a temporary ' "r < m4~i•�-t%.-71 ;
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<br /> unity to their homes, its only a the fewer opportunities there went — permission to use her �a.,�:; �.;n-. �
<br /> BYlimiting property - f t ve:;: �.J
<br /> matter of time before a car are for crashes. andduringconstruction. ..:.,tom< V �`Yr ,i; ;i
<br /> - would land on their front steps. separating turn movements, "If we're not buying any 1 „, : ,.,._ , ,<
<br /> With the median in the way you improve capacity and flow property there's nothingwe can � •:-....i., V�` `''C •�:
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