7.2. HRSR 09-07-2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Justin Femrite, City of Elk River August 5, 2021 Elk River Downtown Traffic and Parking Study Page 14 The operations analysis indicates that under the one-way southbound condition (i.e. northbound movement removed), the operation of the Highway 10/Jackson Avenue intersection is expected to improve during the a.m. and p.m. peak periods due to reduce volumes, conflicts, and signal optimization. However, operations are expected to significantly degrade along Main Street between Highway 10 and Jackson Avenue, which is expected to regularly experience increased vehicle queuing and delays during the peak periods. This in-turn results in poor operations at the Main Street/ Parrish Avenue intersection in particular, although the degradation at this location is less under the one-way northbound condition (i.e., southbound movement removed). Therefore, if the northbound Jackson Avenue movement were eliminated, significant infrastructure investment would likely be needed to address the capacity issues along Main Street between Highway 10 and Parrish Avenue. Downtown Circulation With one-way conversions, motorist circulation and parking access is important to consider. Given the locations of parking within the downtown, impacts to maneuverability are expected because of the potential one-way conversions. In particular, the one-way northbound scenario (i.e., southbound movement removed) would result in local vehicles having to use Highway 10 for local circulation should there be no available parking spaces along Jackson Avenue. In this situation, improved parking wayfinding would be critical to minimizing any circulation impacts along Highway 10. Under the one-way southbound scenario (i.e., northbound movement removed), parking maneuverability/circulation is expected to be less of an issue since southbound Jackson Avenue motorists looking for parking would still have the opportunity to access the majority of parking in the downtown area. This would also reduce local circulation from occurring on Highway 10. Once again, improved parking wayfinding would be beneficial to minimizing any circulation impacts. Multimodal Activity A one-way conversion of Jackson Avenue between Highway 10 and Main Street would provide multimodal benefits to the downtown area. A one-way conversion could provide the possibility for enhanced sidewalk space along Jackson Avenue, as well as reduced crossing distances/conflicts at key intersections. The one-way operations would simplify vehicle movements and help create a more pedestrian friendly environment. Cross-Section Design Considerations The current roadway cross-section of Jackson Avenue was reviewed to determine potential design options and parking considerations associated with a one-way conversion. Since this segment of Jackson Avenue is a Minnesota State Aid roadway, certain design standards need to be met, including travel lane width and parking dimensions. A design variance could be requested, but there is no guaranteed that it would be allowed.