HomeMy WebLinkAboutX-A-01 Consider Resolution of Support - CSAH 42 Corridor Study Recommended Scope of Improvements - Dakota County City Council Memorandum
To: Mayor Fasbender & City Council Members
From: John Caven, Assistant City Engineer
Date: August 12, 2024
Item: Consider Resolution of Support – CSAH 42 Corridor Study Recommended Scope of Improvements
Council Action Requested:
The Council is requested to consider the attached resolution indicating support of the recommended
project scope for improvements to CSAH 42, tentatively scheduled for construction in 2028.
Background Information:
In 2021, Dakota County performed a pedestrian crossing assessment to evaluate pedestrian safety
crossings along its corridors. The Mississippi River Greenway (MRG) trail crossing on CSAH 42 between
Pleasant Dr and Madison St was evaluated. The study concluded this location would benefit from a
median refuge island to reduce the pedestrian crossing length. However, it also recommended the
network of crossings on CSAH 42 from Lock Blvd to Pine St be evaluated in the near future.
In 2023, Dakota County partnered with HR Green to evaluate the corridor. An open house was
conducted on January 23, 2024 to gather input from area residents to identify difficult crossings and
understand general usage patterns. The project team subsequently developed four alternatives ranging
from short term (low cost) solutions to long term (high cost) solutions. An open house was conducted on
May 6, 2024 to gather additional input from area residents on these possible solutions.
Feedback from the open houses and corridor data collection emphasized the need for vehicle speed
reduction, trail connectivity, and reduced pedestrian crossing lengths along the corridor. Elimination of
vehicle bypass lanes and reduction of underused left turn/right turn lanes would create a safter corridor
and reduce vehicle/pedestrian conflict points. The recommended solution includes (see attached Corridor
Study Report):
Bypass Lanes
Eliminate unsafe bypass lanes at 1st St, Hospital, Pleasant Dr, Madison St and Monroe St
Turn Lanes
Remove low volume right turn lanes at Monroe St and Madison St
Add left turn lanes at 1st St and Pleasant Dr to accommodate high turning movements
Crosswalks
Evaluate need for painted crosswalks on Monroe St, Madison St, Pleasant Dr and at bump out
locations.
Trail
Extend trail on south side of CSAH 42 from Monroe St to Lock Blvd
Convert existing sidewalk on south side of CSAH 42 from Pleasant Dr to River St to a wider multi-
use trail.
Extend trail on south side of CSAH 42 from River St to Pine St
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Install Bump Outs
Riverdale Dr (west side of intersection)
o Establish safe crossing location
o Reduce pedestrian crossing length
o Evaluate need for pedestrian crossing signage and painted crosswalk.
MRG Trail (midblock between Madison St and Pleasant Dr)
o Remove trail on north side of CSAH 42 to eliminate unnecessary redundant crossing at
Pleasant Dr.
o Evaluate need for pedestrian crossing signage and painted crosswalk.
Between 1st St and 2nd St & along west side of River St
o Provide reduced crossing length on west side of horizontal curve with poor site lines.
o Provide safe crossing for neighborhoods to the south.
o Evaluate need for pedestrian crossing signage and painted crosswalk.
Financial Impact:
The City is responsible for 15% of the costs associated with the corridor study. Any future project will be
budgeted through the normal budgetary process and likely subject to the 85/15 cost share split. Design
is scheduled for 2025 with construction tentatively scheduled for 2028. City portion of the design is
expected to be approximately $25,000 and construction to be approximately $200,000.
Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends the City Council adopts the attached resolution in support of the recommended
scope and features for CSAH 42.
Attachments:
County Road 42 (Nininger Road) Corridor Study Report
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CITY OF HASTINGS
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
RESOLUTION NO.
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE RECOMMENDED SCOPE AND FEATURES FOR THE CSAH 42
CORRIDOR STUDY
WHEREAS, Dakota County performed a pedestrian crossing assessment at Mississippi River Greenway
(MRG) trail between Pleasant Dr and Madison St in 2021. It was recommended the entire corridor be
evaluated between Lock Blvd and Pine St; and
WHEREAS, Dakota County partnered with HR Green to evaluate the corridor in 2023; and
WHEREAS, A public open house was held January 23, 2024 to gather input from area residents to
identify difficult crossings and understand general usage patterns; and
WHEREAS, A public open house was held May 6, 2024 to gather input from area residents on four
alternatives ranging from short term (low cost) solutions to long term (high cost) solutions; and
WHEREAS, Public feedback emphasized the need for vehicle speed reduction, trail connectivity, and
reduced pedestrian crossing lengths along the corridor; and
WHEREAS, the recommended concept design addresses the aforementioned concerns to a significant
and reasonable extent.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HASTINGS AS
FOLLOWS;
1. The City of Hastings hereby supports the implementation of the recommended project scope and
features for improvements along CSAH 42 from Lock Blvd to Pine St.
2. The City of Hastings will work in partnership with Dakota County to participate in the Dakota
County cost share to complete this scope of work.
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ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF HASTINGS, MINNESOTA, THIS 19TH DAY OF AUGUST,
2024.
Ayes:
Nays:
Mary Fasbender, Mayor
ATTEST:
Kelly Murtaugh, City Clerk SEAL
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COUNTY ROAD 42 (NININGER ROAD)
CORRIDOR STUDY REPORT
JUNE 2024
Hastings – Lock Boulevard to Pine Street
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Table of Contents
Project Introduc
County Road 42 (Nininger Road) Corridor Study
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County Road 42 (Nininger Road) Corridor Study
Project Introduction
Dakota County has collaborated with the City of Hastings to conduct a corridor study for
the 1.5-mile segment of County Road 42 (also referred to as Nininger Road or 2nd Street
West) from Lock Road to Pine Street. Locally, County Road 42 provides connections
between Highway 61 to Highway 55 and continues westward as a major east-west
arterial through Dakota County.
This portion of County Road 42 serves as a gateway corridor into Hastings, and as
such, features a transition of speed limits from 55 mph on the west end to 30 mph at the
east end of the corridor. Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) in the corridor ranges
between 2,200 (on the west) and 5,200 (on the east). This portion of Hastings is
relatively stable in terms of development, with well-established residential areas and
features Allina Health United Hospital in the middle of the corridor. There is potential for
additional development growth at the west end of the corridor, but new large-scale
residential development is not anticipated to occur in this decade.
This subject segment of County Road 42 is a continuous two-lane corridor which
features multiple bypass lanes in the westbound direction, allowing motorists to pass by
left-turning vehicles at key intersections or access points along the corridor. West of
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Pleasant Drive, there are several direct access driveways along the north side of
County Road 42
Trails and sidewalks along County Road 42
provide travel paths for pedestrians and
bicyclists. However, some gaps in the
sidewalk/trail system do exist, most notably on
the north side of County Road 42 between
approximately 2nd Street and Riverdale
Boulevard. These gaps in the pedestrian network
become magnified due to the presence of a
valued regional trail resource in this corridor – the
Mississippi River Greenway (MRG). The MRG
includes over 25 miles of paved trail running from
St. Paul to Hastings, a portion of which runs
concurrent with the study corridor from Lock
Boulevard to just west of Pleasant Drive, where
the trail turns toward the Mississippi River and the
Lock and Dam. The MRG supports more than
400,000 annual trail users. This segment of the
MRG in our study corridor requires two crossings of County Road 42 and is
representative of the issues that have created a need for this study.
The purpose of the study is to identify solutions that will improve pedestrian and bicyclist
safety while helping to create a multi-modal corridor vision that can accommodate long-
term development and changing mobility demands in Hastings and on County Road 42.
Study Process
The CSAH 42 Corridor study began with data collection to evaluate the existing
conditions. Data collection activities included traffic counts for turning movements, daily
volume, and speed. Additional studies were conducted for contaminated properties,
wetlands, and geotechnical conditions. The information gathered was used to identify
existing issues and concerns of the road and shoulders, drainage and environmental
features, traffic safety and operations, and pedestrian and bicyclist accommodations.
The context of the corridor is urban/suburban residential and institutional, with roadway
frontage consisting of single occupancy homes and apartments, as well as the Allina
Health – Regina Hospital and the Benedictine Living Community – Regina assisted
living facilities.
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Existing Traffic Conditions
Traffic counts were conducted over the 13-hour period of 6:00AM to 7:00PM on
Thursday, September 28, 2023. Findings from the count included the following
observations:
Daily traffic volumes in the corridor range from just over 2,000 vehicles per day
(vpd) on the west end at Lock Boulevard, to over 5,000 on the east end near
River Street.
First Street and Pleasant Drive are relatively high-volume local streets
connecting to County Road 42, with over 1,600 and almost 1,500 vpd
respectively.
Peak hours of traffic operations were identified for the morning (7:00-8:00AM)
and afternoon (4:15-5:15PM); the afternoon peak hour shows slightly higher
volumes than the morning peak.
Analysis of turning movements through the corridor reveals the importance of
westbound left-turn movements at both First Street and Pleasant Drive. While
counts were not collected for the access locations for the health care facilities
along County Road 42, these locations can be interpreted as key destinations as
well.
Some of the local residential roads like Madison show small numbers of left turn
movements on to or from County Road 42, with turns often in the low single digits
during the peak hour.
Speed Study
This corridor’s position at the edge of Hastings presents an opportunity to evaluate
traffic speed conditions for potential safety and operations concerns. From west to east
through the corridor, the posted speed limit transitions from 55 miles per hour (mph)
west of Lock Boulevard, to 45 mph east of Lock Boulevard, and then to 30 mph just
west of 1st Street.
A common measure for traffic speed performance on a roadway is to count the speed at
which 85% of all vehicles driving through the location are at or below that speed. The
following observations for traffic speed were made for 85th percentile and average
(mean) speed at three locations in the corridor:
Between Lock Boulevard and Riverdale Drive: 85th percentile speed = 51 mph;
Average speed = 45 mph
West of Pleasant Drive at the MRG Trail intersection: 85th percentile speed = 49
mph; Average speed = 42 mph
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Between 1st and 2nd Streets: 85th percentile speed = 39 mph; Average speed =
34 mph
The observed speeds for this one day of data collection indicate that average speeds
are generally close to the posted speed limits but that there may be a tendency to travel
at speeds slightly above the posted limits. Several factors may contribute to these
conditions, and it would be difficult to pinpoint specific reasons for this performance.
However, given the interest for safe and comfortable pedestrian accommodations, the
speed data suggest improvements that help calm traffic through the corridor may be
appropriate.
Safety
Historical crash data from the most recently available 10 years (2014-2023) was
gathered. Analysis of crash severity was completed to determine the intersections with
high safety concerns. In this period there were 14 crashes along the corridor, 70% of
which resulted in no apparent injury. The majority of crashes were clustered between 1st
St and River St, including the lone serious injury crash that occurred in the corridor. This
cluster of crashes is near a curve in County Road 42. One other crash had a “non-
incapacitating” injury, and two other crashes identified a “possible injury.” The remaining
ten crashes over this ten-year period did not involve an injury.
Public Engagement – Initial Input
In the first phase of engagement, community members were presented with existing
conditions data and a blank corridor layout created by the study team. The intent was
for the Project management Team (PMT) to collect feedback from the community and
users that frequent the corridor and the recreational assets from Lock Boulevard to Pine
Street. The feedback directly impacted the concept development in the next phase of
the project.
Open House #1
The first open house for this
project took place on January
23rd, 2024, from 5:00-7:00 PM.
The meeting was held at the
Hastings YMCA, in the multi-
purpose room. Approximately
30 people attended the open
house. 9 participants competed
the project survey, participants
also submitted 18 comments on
the concept roll plot map as well
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as in-person feedback that was then documented by the PMT. Following the open
house an online survey and comment map was made available from January 22nd –
February 15th for participants to provide feedback.
City Council Meeting
Following the open house, Dakota County gave a presentation on the project and public
engagement efforts to date at the April 15th, 2024 Hastings City Council meeting.
Dakota County provided information on the project background, purpose and need,
summarized the data collection and work to date, and stood for questions on the
project. Preliminary project alternatives were also shared and discussed with the
Council and City staff. Follow-up questions and reactions to the presentation were
generally positive, with some clarification requested on turn lane evaluations, potential
project costs, and timelines.
Key Issues and Concerns
Whether it was during the in-person open house or through online engagement the
prevailing feedback was that speed should be reduced throughout the corridor,
particularly in the west half of the CSAH 42/Nininger Road from Pleasant St to Lock
Blvd. There was a general concern about the lack of visible and obvious pedestrian and
bicycle crossings on CSAH 42. The presence of curves on both ends of the corridor, in
addition to the downhill grade on the east end (shown below), created concerns about
line of sight and visibility for all road users. The lack of comfortable crossings has further
augmented the sense of disconnect for the trail and sidewalk network that is a valuable
resource for the community.
Evaluation Criteria
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At the conclusion of the data collection and initial stakeholder engagement, the PMT
established key criteria to develop and evaluate alternatives. The evaluation criteria
were used to compare each corridor alternative and ensure that proposed
improvements address the corridor needs. The following evaluation criteria were
developed:
Trail Continuity, Gaps, and Design – considerations about an overall concern with
the availability of trails in the corridor, the need for crossing County Road 42,
width of sidewalks or trails as an indicator of user experience
Speed Reduction and Motorist Experience – evaluate the potential for proposed
improvements to reduce speed in the corridor, while also creating a comfortable
driving environment with visibility of corridor users
Social and Natural Environment – general concern for maintaining natural
resources and valuable community connections
Constructability, Maintenance, and Cost – considerations for ability to construct
cost-effective improvements that will have long-lasting value and can be
maintained effectively through all seasons
Alternatives Development
Following the 1st Open House, the project team conducted an internal workshop to
generate an initial range of alternatives for consideration. The alternatives were
evaluated during PMT meetings and refined prior to the second Open House in May
2024. The evaluation criteria and stakeholder engagement feedback shaped the
concept development for the corridor and were instrumental in forming a set of four
alternatives. This set of alternatives collectively represented a range of timeframes for
potential implementation and associated construction costs. The corridor concepts were
evaluated against the established criteria. Each of the alternatives built on elements of
the last, until the 4th represented the most complete alternative that could be
implemented as part of the long-term vision for the corridor. All four alternatives were
later presented at the second public open house to gather feedback on the design
elements that were determined to be variable through the evaluation process.
Public Engagement – Feedback on Alternatives
In the second phase of engagement, community members were presented with four
recommended alternatives, developed with the comments and feedback received in the
first phase of public engagement. The intent was for the PMT to collect feedback from
the community on the developed alternatives. The feedback directly impacted the
development of these alternatives in the next phase of the project.
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Open House #2 (May 2024)
The second open house for this
project took place on Monday May
6th, 2024, from 4:30–6:30 PM. The
public meeting was held in the
Hastings YMCA Multi-Purpose
Room, approximately 30 people
attended the open house. Following
the open house an online comment
map was made available from May
5th – May 17th on the project
website for participants to provide
additional feedback.
Recommended Alternatives
Following the second open house meeting the recommended alternatives were
reviewed in light of feedback received from the public, the evaluation criteria, and also
the ability to implement each alternative, with a priority focus on determining an option
that is available for short-term implementation (for example, it could be built with
minimal obstacles within the next 3-5 years). A key early determination during this
evaluation was to no longer consider Alternative 2 – Pedestrian Medians as a viable
short-term option. This was in response to concerns surrounding the long-term
developmental impact of the medians, in favor of the pedestrian bump outs shown in
Alternative 1 which were seen as more in line with the long-term goals for the corridor
and more easily implemented without foregoing other potential improvements
throughout the corridor and on adjacent city streets.
Priority (Short-Term) Improvements
Alternative 1 represents the short-term vision for priority improvements to this corridor.
The main emphasis of this alternative is the implementation of four Bump Outs along
the corridor to ensure pedestrian safety at existing gaps between trail infrastructure.
Current conditions lead to pedestrians and bicyclists taking risky, dangerous crossings
but the Bump Outs would create infrastructure designed to allow them to cross safely.
Alternative 1 received positive feedback during Open House #2 given it is easy, cost-
effective and timely to implement, as well as fitting into the Long-Term vision for the
corridor.
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Opportunistic Improvements
Opportunistic improvements to Alternative 1 offer potential low cost and/or minimal
design and approval concepts that further augment the study corridor objectives.
Notable features with these opportunistic improvements include the westward extension
of trail along the south side of County Road 42 to Lock Blvd and the conversion of
existing sidewalk east of Pleasant Drive into a wider multi-use trail. Along with extending
the trail east of River Street to Pine Street, these changes would effectively create a
continuous trail along the south side of County Road 42 through the entire study
corridor.
Mid-Term Improvements
Alternative 3 expands upon the proposed improvements in Alternative 1, representing
Mid-Term opportunistic improvements to the corridor. The main proposed improvements
are the proposed on-street dedicated bike lanes along CSAH 42 where trail gaps are
evident. Proposed bike lanes would take the place of existing bypass lanes that pose
potential risk to multimodal transit users along the corridor. Other features dedicated to
pedestrian and bicyclist safety include speed control curb extensions, new sidewalks,
pedestrian bump outs, concrete medians for speed control, as well as re-routing
sections of the multi-use trail.
Long-Term Corridor Vision Potential
Alternative 4 represents a potential Long-Term vision for the corridor, incorporating
elements from the other alternatives and expending to incorporate new features that
may be appropriate as corridor travel demands changes. While this alternative attempts
represent a holistic vision for pedestrian and bike safety improvements and mobility
along the corridor, it would require several years of project development and approvals
See Appendix A for
depictions of the
Recommended
Priority
Improvements for
County Road 42
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in order to be fully built. Most notably this alternative includes 2 roundabouts, one at
Lock Boulevard and one at Pleasant Drive. This vision includes the incorporation of
medians that act as traffic calming devices in place of the curb bump outs that have
been shown in short-term improvement recommendations.
Perhaps more importantly for this longer-term vision, the corridor is envisioned has
having multi-use trails on both sides of County Road 42. This ultimate build out would
most effectively address the demand for continuous trails and minimizing the need for
crossing County Road 42. A substantial obstacle to this sort of build out is the presence
of cemeteries on either side of County Road 42. With property lines adjecent to the
corridor, the risk of impact to cemeteries means any such construction project would
need to clearly avoid those parcels.
A combination of improvements such as these depicted in Alternative 4 would require
substantial public engagement and agency coordination and approvals before being
built. Such a process would likely result in variations from the improvements shown as
more design considerations, operational impacts, maintenance needs, and public
feedback are weighed.
Recommended Preliminary Design for Corridor Improvements
Within the design decisions and refinements described above, Dakota County and the
City of Hastings accept the preliminary geometric proposal for the County Road 42
corridor improvement project. This layout will be the culmination of planning and
engagement efforts between Dakota County and the City of Hastings.
Implementation Plan
Corridor Improvements Timeline
Dakota County is currently drafting its five-year construction program to identify when
improvements to this corridor may be implemented. The alternatives represent a range
of potential implementation timelines, where Alternative 1 could be implemented in the
near term whereas Alternative 4 would require several years of project development and
approvals (including further public engagement) to be fully built.
The project is being incorporated into the 2025 Dakota County Transportation CIP for
advancement of final design and right of way acquisition for construction in 2027 in
advance of a pavement preservation project on the corridor in 2028. The final design
will incorporate the improvements identified in the recommended alternative, as well as
other requisite ADA infrastructure improvements along CSAH 42. Implementation of the
opportunistic improvements will be predicated on the availability of funding and right of
way needs in the corridor.
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Mississippi River Greenway (MRG) Improvements & Timeline
As part of this study, Dakota County has evaluated options for Mississippi River
Greenway improvements off of the CSAH 42 right of way. A preliminary design
assessment of the trail north of CSAH 42 down to the Lock and Dam #2 embankment
was carried out in conjunction with the corridor study to assess the ability for
improvements to this critical non-motorized trail connection which traverses the
Mississippi River valley. The current alignment and profile of the trail segment poses
safety and accessibility concerns for trail users due to tight curves, awkward trail
intersections, narrow width, poor pavement condition, and slopes in excess of the
desired 5% maximum running slope on the Dakota County Greenway system. The
preliminary design found that improvements sufficient to bring the trail segment up to
Dakota County Greenway standards are feasible within land currently controlled by the
City of Hastings and Dakota County with no need for property acquisition.
A full reconstruction of the trail alignment and profile from just north of CSAH 42 down to
the Lock and Dam #2 embankment is proposed, along with a resurfacing of the trail
segments not fully reconstructed on the embankment and up to the trail connection with
CSAH 42. This reconstruction will address concerns about pavement condition, improve
curves, sight lines, and trail intersections, and reduce the maximum running slope of the
trail to 5% or less. This will fulfill the goals of improving rideability and accessibility of the
trail segment. A reconstruction and pavement management project will be immediately
advanced to final design and incorporated into the 2025 Dakota County Parks CIP for
construction as early as 2025.
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Supporting Documents
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