8.1. SR 05-04-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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MnDOT Contract No. 1028386 Work Order No. 1 Exhibit B Detailed Scope of Work and Deliverables 9 within and adjacent to the corridor study area. The consultant team will identify potential connections to the TH 10 corridor from existing trails and to existing park facilities in the area, including the youth athletic complex on 165th Avenue. Issues that will be considered when identifying gaps will include pedestrian and bicycle destinations. The consultant team will develop a map that depicts existing and planned trails, along with proposed new trail connections and potential crossing locations (including potential grade separated crossings for consideration as part of the alternative analysis; either incorporated into interchange designs or standalone structures, if appropriate). Freight, Rail, and Transit The freight, rail, and transit considerations in the TH 10 corridor extent and the subarea is something that must be well understood to know how it impacts the TH 10 corridor needs and general north-south route connectivity as both TH 10 and BNSF corridors limit this connectivity. TH 10 serves about 1,400 daily heavy commercial trucks per day through this study segment, which equates to about four percent. Not a significantly large percentage but a fairly large number that will impact operational conditions. In addition, there is a considerable set of land uses/ businesses adjacent to the corridor in this area that rely on accessibility to TH 10 and the broader transportation network for business (those off of 171st Avenue/170th Lane/Future Twin Lakes Road). In the grand scheme of freight management, TH 10 is classified as a Tier 2 freight corridor that should provide accessibility to freight clusters and regional freight terminals. The BNSF Railway runs parallel to TH 10 on the east. The good news is the rail line is separated from TH 10 by approximately a quarter mile in its closest spot. This distance helps to minimize rail operations from negatively affecting TH 10 operations (blocked crossings). There are approximately 55-80 BNSF freight trains per day on this line that run at speeds up to 79 mph. With the average freight train two and one-half miles long, it is still important to understand how often they will impact the crossings in the area and if they will have a sporadic impact on TH 10. Further, this line also accommodates the Northstar passenger commuter rail operations with up to 12 commuter trains per day (six in each direction). Northstar trains also run for special events, carrying passengers to Twins and Vikings games. This rail corridor is very active and useful to the region, it also runs up to two Amtrak trains per day (one in each direction). The SRF Team will account for these activities in our consideration of transportation solutions for the TH 10 corridor and broader transportation subarea intersections. Northstar trains were mentioned in the previous discussion as a means of transit for passenger traffic. Northstar is operated by Metro Transit. Metro Transit does not operate bus service in this area. Bus transit service is provided by Tri-Cap Transit Connection. While there are not dedicated stops on this corridor, transit opportunities should be considered if/when development changes with connections needed to the Elk River Northstar station area with bus transit transfers. Safety Corridor safety will be evaluated by reviewing the number and severity of crashes that have occurred in the last five years at key intersections and corridor segments – not only on TH 10 but also in other areas of the subarea identified in the RFP. Data will be obtained from the Minnesota Crash Mapping Analysis Tool (MnCMAT) as well as county and state records on file for the years from 2016-2018 to identify specific crash information (i.e., time of day, month, lighting, surface condition, and type of crashes). Crash diagrams will be developed at key intersections. The average and critical crash rate will be calculated and compared to rates for similar intersections. Locations with higher than expected rates will be reviewed to determine if there are any physical constraints or design issues that may be leading to the higher rates. Potential solutions will be developed and prioritized for these locations in the broader subarea taking into consideration recommendations from previous studies, if any. For locations that include a pedestrian or bicycle crash, a detailed review of the incident will be conducted to determine if there are design improvements that should be considered immediately. A summary describing the overall conditions along the corridor, and by segment, outlining the results of the safety evaluation will be completed and incorporated into the Existing Conditions technical memorandum. The summary will include a more in-depth review of the corridor segments and intersections and will use mapping and crash diagrams to help convey the number, type, and severity of crashes occurring along the corridor.