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Howard R, Green Qompany <br /> GONSULTING ENGINEERS <br />July 6, 2000 <br />File: 808200-0060 <br /> <br />Item ~ 4.2.C <br /> <br />The Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />City of Elk River <br />13065 Orono Parkway <br />Elk River, MN 55330 <br /> <br />RE: <br /> <br />MAIN STREET STRIPING <br />CITY OF ELK RIVER, MINNESOTA <br /> <br />Dear Council Members: <br /> <br />As the City prepares to proceed with the overlay of Main Street between Trunk Highway (TH) <br />169 and the railroad tracks to the west, the City Council should consider the potential restriping <br />of Main Street after the overlay. Main Street is approximately 52 feet wide and is striped for two <br />lanes of traffic and two parking lanes. Consideration should be given to restriping it after the <br />overlay to eliminate the parking and provide more traffic lanes. The 1999 traffic count data <br />provided by Mn/DOT indicates the average daily traffic is 7,700. This number can be <br />anticipated to rise quickly when the commercial opportunities at Elk River Crossing open in the <br />fall of the year. Generally speaking, a two-lane road can carry up to 10,000 cars a day. <br />However, this capacity is reduced by the number of left turn opportunities along the roadway. <br />With Main Street, there are four intersections and a significant number of commercial and <br />residential driveways for left turn opportunities. Therefore, the total capacity of a two-lane Main <br />Street would be considered somewhat less than 10,000 cars per day. <br /> <br />I have visually observed the on-street parking uses along Main Street over the past several <br />weeks. It has been my observation that there are consistently a few cars parked along Main <br />Street. It is not clear to me whether this parking is due to convenience, being closer to the <br />businesses than from their parking lots, or a matter of necessity caused by a businesses' lot <br />being full. My guess is that the reason would be the former, the parking by convenience. <br /> <br />If the City Council wants to consider restriping Main Street to eliminate parking and provide <br />more lanes, there are two options available. They could restripe Main Street to a four-lane <br />roadway with two lanes in each direction or to a three-lane design with one lane in each <br />direction and a center left turn lane. Recent Mn/DOT studies have shown that the three-lane <br />design contributes to a reduction in accidents, versus a straight four-lane roadway where there <br />are significant left turn movements. <br /> <br />Ltr-070600-MayorCou ncil-Restripingdoc <br /> <br />1326 Energy Park Drive · St. Paul, MN 55108 · 651/644-4389 fax 651/644~9446 toll free 888~368-4389 <br /> <br /> <br />