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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

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TRIPLE OPTION

Will it be traffic lights or roundabouts for College Drive project?

By MATT ERICKSON

Staff Writer

Signalized traffic lights or roundabouts?

That was the question at an open house Tuesday at Central Lakes College for the College Drive reconstruction project slated for 2010.

The project will cover about a mile of College Drive, from Quince Street near Brainerd High School to Crow Wing County Road 48 west of CLC. Along with improving safety and traffic flow, a major part of the project will be changing several street intersections along College Drive by installing traffic signals or roundabouts.

The city of Brainerd and it's consultant, WSB & Associates Inc., presented three options for public comment Tuesday.

The first option, "Our old school option," said Ron Bray, project manager with WSB, would feature only signal lights at College Drive intersections with Quince Street, South Fourth Street, Southwest Fourth Street and Mississippi Parkway. However, traffic signals would only be installed when warranted by traffic counts. Current counts do not warrant signalized intersections at Southwest Fourth Street, Quince Street and Mississippi Parkway.

A redesign of College Drive near Central Lakes College in 2010 could include roundabouts intended reduce traffic backups such as this one at the intersection with Southwest Fourth Street. Roundabouts were included in two of three options available for public comment Tuesday at an open house at CLC.
Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls

The second option includes only roundabouts at Quince Street, South Fourth Street, Southwest Fourth Street and Mississippi Parkway, but there was concern with the proximity between Quince and South Fourth streets.

The third option keeps roundabouts at South Fourth Street, Southwest Fourth Street and Mississippi Parkway but uses a signal light at Quince Street.

Brainerd City Engineer Jeff Hulsether said he's heard only positive comments about the possibility of roundabouts on College Drive, though he understood that it would take some time for people to get used to them.

In other cities - there will be more than 100 built in Minnesota by the end of the year - Hulsether said he's heard critical comments because the roundabout was designed poorly.

Under proposals to reconstruct College Drive in 2010, the Quince Street intersection with South Fifth Street/College Drive near Brainerd High School would be outfitted with a traffic signal. College Drive would be converted to four-way traffic and three other intersections - South Fourth Street, Southwest Fourth Street and Mississippi Parkway - would be constructed as roundabouts.
Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls

"We're going to make sure with this project that if we do roundabouts they're going to function well," Hulsether said.

The third option also would relocate accesses to several apartment buildings along College Drive to a backage road that would be constructed a block to the north.

Mary Knutson, manager of Pines Apartments, said a four-lane road would be good because it would reduce traffic backups but she expressed concern that a widened College Drive would result in fewer trees in front of the apartments.

"That's one of our selling points," Knutson said. She questioned why more land wouldn't be taken from across the road. She also said adding a backage road would restrict apartment owners' plans to build more complexes.

The objectives of the project design team's study are to build a four-lane road that balances access, mobility and safety; design a pedestrian/bike friendly corridor; and design a corridor for future traffic volumes because it is a main east/west artery in the region.

Whether or not signal lights or roundabouts are used at intersection, Bray said the recommendation for College Drive will be a four-lane, divided road with the possibilities of plantings within the boulevard. There also would be a right turn lane installed at the intersection with Crow Wing County Road 48.

Traffic on College Drive averages 15,000 vehicles a day on the east end and is expected to increase to 20,000-30,000 in the future, Bray said.

"Our objective is to improve capacity and safety," Bray said.

Added WSB project engineer Kate Miner: "We're talking comparable traffic to (Washington Street) by 2035."

The plan for improving College Drive came to the city's attention after Baxter expanded College Road, which continues travel west after College Drive's intersection with Crow Wing County Road 48.

Hulsether said traffic counts showed an increase of several thousand cars a day on College Drive with up to 15,000 vehicles a day on the Mississippi River bridge.

"Traffic volumes are reaching a point where a two-way road can't meet the traffic capacity we need," Hulsether said.

The city applied for and received $1.8 million in federal funds for the project, Hulsether said. The total project cost could be $3 million to $4 million, with the remaining amount covered by the city's state aid funds.

Following Tuesday's open house, the design team will use the public comments to select the preferred option, with another public meeting scheduled for early January. The project would then go before the Brainerd City Council for final design approval. The project is expected to be completed in one construction season.

Preliminary drawings and additional information on roundabouts can be viewed at the city's Web site, www.ci.brainerd.mn.us/engineering/collegedrive/.

MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.

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