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<br /> <br />13065 Orono Park"way <br />Elk River. MN 55330 <br /> <br />August 21, 2006 <br /> <br />Editor <br />Elk River Star News <br />506 Freeport Avelllle NW <br />Elk River, MN 55330 <br /> <br />I all1 \vritillg tIlis letter on behalf of Elk River's Mayor and City Council ill response to recent <br />letters fr0111 Plamlil1g C011Ul1issioll1l1ell1bers Brad Stevells and Leo Offellnan. They raise the <br />iSSlle tIlat tllere are Sigtlificallt trallsportatioll difficlllties ill tIle City. The Council couldll't agree <br />ll10re. 111 Coullcil plaIllling sessio11S, including plalllling sessions in wllich our COlnnlissiollS <br />l1ave been illvolved, it has been routillely stated that a nlajor issue facillg tIle City is <br />trallsportatioll (\vitIl grO\vtll issues ill general also topping tIle list). <br /> <br />COlltrary to tile COll1111ellts 11lade ill the letters, the City Ilas not beell idly sitting by. In tile past <br />several years, tllere have beell nlallY road iluprovements made \vithin the City to help \vitIl traffic <br />conce1ns. The City has been a strollg supporter for the NorthStar Corridor COffilTIuter rail which <br />s110llld begill operatioll ill 2009. Unfolillnately, nlany of the trallsportation iInprovements we <br />wOllld like to nlake \vill take significant tinle to accomplisll. SaIne of the issues, SUCIl as those <br />relatillg to COUllty roads or High\vays 10 and 101/169, are just silnply out of the City's direct <br />control. <br /> <br />Regardillg Highway 169: TIle State has a proposed plall for High\vay 169 whicl1 elltails <br />overpasses at Main Street, School Street, 193rd A vellue alld 197tIl Avenue. There will be 110 <br />access Ollto Higl1\Vay 169 at School Street. U1lfortullately, the projected plall is not evell on tIle <br />long-tenll plall tllat MnDOT llas ill place. Given the road improvelllel1ts at HigIl\vay 33 and <br />furtl1er to tIle NortIl, alld no\v tIlose frOlll Rogers tlrrough Otsego, we fil111ly believe tIlat tIle <br />proposed Elk River illlprovelllellts will OCCllr alld tIlat they ShOllld occur SOOller, ratIler than later. <br />Earlier this year, tile State had allocated $1 million dollars for a Geometric Layout and <br />Envirolilllelltal Study relatillg to HigIlway 169 (the fil1al steps needed to be taken before a project <br />call be started); 110\VeVer, due to State fillallcial isslles, those llloneys \vere stripped away. Tile <br />City e\Tell offered to pay up to a l11illion dollars to Ilave that stlldy cOlnpleted, bllt MnDOT <br />refused. <br /> <br />Phone: 763.63;.1000 <br />Fax: 763.635.1090 <br /> <br />WW\v. ci. elk - ri ver. mn. us <br />