6.8. SR 09-19-2005 - Laserfiche WebLink

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MEMO To: Terry Maurer, PE From: Howard Preston, PE Lynn Kiesow Howard R. Green Company Subject: Elk River High School Safety Study Date: June 8, 2001 Howard R. Green Company has completed a review of the traffic conditions surrounding the Elk River High School. Our review included on-site observations, interviews .with faculty and staff, an analysis of traffic operational and safety issues, as well as the development of several potential mitigation strategies, which would likely improve traffic safety and operations. Existing Conditions Elk River High School is located on School Street between Jackson Avenue and Proctor Avenue as shown in Figure 1. School Street is a four-lane collector roadway connecting Trunk Highway 169 and Proctor Avenue. Both Proctor Avenue and Jackson Avenue are four-lane undivided roadways, and are signalized at their intersection with School Street. The existing geometry of the area surrounding the school is included in Figure 2. Two student parking lots divided by a baseball diamond are located directly west of the high school. Students are only allowed to access the parking lot through one location along School Street. A pedestrian crosswalk is located on the west leg of School Street of the student parking lot entrance. Elk River City Arena is located to the north of the student parking lot. A bus loading zone and teacher parking are located on a horseshoe to the south of the school. This entrance connects with a delivery access and visitor parking located west of the school. The Arena is accessed through the school parking lots. Vandenberge Junior High School is located directly west of the student parking lot. The access to the student parking lot includes a welcoming gate with one lane on the east side of the gate and two on the west. Gates control the ability for traffic to enter or exit the parking lot in the wrong lane. The school staffs the welcoming gate before and after school. This location was selected as the only access to the parking lot two years ago as a means of reducing traffic congestion on local roads surrounding the school during periods of peak traffic. Lanes at this access experience directional changes throughout the day. During A.M. peak traffic, the gate is lifted, and eastbound traffic is expected to enter the parking lot using one of the exit lanes. After the peak, the lane returns to an exit lane. After school, the City of Elk River provides an employee to control traffic. Traffic cones are placed across the westbound curb lanes the north lane of School Street to allow students a free right leaving the parking lot. The employee stops traffic from the east to allow student a left out. Students pay $80 per year for parking, and are given different parking privileges depending on grade in school and academic record. Privileges are taken away if the student shows any deviant Howard R. Green Company Elk River High School Safety Study O:\PROJ\814360j\Memo.doc - 1 -