The below is select text taken from the February 20, 2018 City Commission meeting:

Transcription

1 AGENDA MANDAN CITY COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING AUGUST 15, 2018 VETERANS CONFERENCE ROOM VIA TELE CONFERENCE 10:00 A.M. A. ROLL CALL: B. OLD BUSINESS: 1. Consider approval of revised NDDOT Decision Document for the Main Street Signals project. C. FUTURE MEETING DATES FOR BOARD OF CITY COMMISSIONERS: 1. August 21, September 4, 2018 (5 p.m. start time) 3. September 18, 2018 K. ADJOURN

2 Old Business No. 1 Board of City Commissioners MEETING DATE: PREPARATION DATE: SUBMITTING DEPARTMENT: DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR: PRESENTER: SUBJECT: August 15, 2018 August 14, 2018 Engineering Justin Froseth, PE Justin Froseth, Planning and Engineering Director Main Street Traffic Signals Decision Document STATEMENT/PURPOSE: To resubmit the DOT required Decision Document (DD) for the Mandan Main Street Signals project to move forward with project design. BACKGROUND/ALTERNATIVES: At the August 7th city Commission meeting, it was decided to table the decision to complete the decision document until City staff and possibly officials were able to have a face to face meeting with DOT staff about the signals at 10th West and 1st West that are deemed unwarranted. Such a meeting was held at 8:00 AM on August 13th at the DOT central office. In attendance were Michael Johnson and Stacey Hanson with the DOT Local Government Division as well as Administrator Jim Neubauer, Commissioner Scott Davis and Planning and Engineering Director Justin Froseth. Deeper explanation of the adherence to warrants was explained at the meeting. DOT staff shared that in similar past projects, they may have had some flexibility to allow unwarranted signals to stay in place. However, within the past year or so, it has been emphasized not to deviate from the warrants when federal highway funds are involved. DOT staff suggested to incorporate any items of concern or unified comments within the decision document, but since warrants are not met for the intersections now nor are they met with a 20-year future traffic projection, they cannot remain. We are suggesting to move forward with the project and complete the decision document to include removal of the signals at 10th West and 1st West in order to receive the federal funds for the traffic signals project. The attached decision document language (first attachment) is the language that the Planning and Engineering Department recommends. Below from previous meetings: A project to replace the signals along Main Street Mandan is programmed in to the DOT s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the year As with all similar DOT projects, a DD is required. The original DD was actually before commission in the spring of At that time, we asked the DOT to allow our Downtown Subarea Study to complete to use that information including all of the public input opportunities before completing this DD. They were amenable to that so

3 Page 2 of 14 long as the study wrapped in early 2018 so that final design could pick up where it left off after our DD was returned and they could stay on schedule for a fall of 2018 bid. The Downtown Subarea Study wrapped up in February of 2018 and we sent in our DD document back to the DOT the following week. Within the original DD, there were items of decision at 10 th Avenue West and 1 st Avenue West. Despite those two intersections not meeting warrants for traffic signals, the original DD gave the options for us to complete that included 1) Remove and Replace Existing Traffic Signal System or 2) Permanently Remove Existing Traffic Signal System. Given the results of the Downtown Subarea Study, per our office recommendation, commission elected for the remove and replace. In May of 2018, engineering was sent a new DD that removed the option to remove and replace and instead had the option of No Build in its place. The DOT requested a two week turn around for that DD which did not give engineering staff time to take to City Commission so an administrative decision was made to complete as consistent as possible with the input received through the Downtown Subarea Study. Engineering s interpretation of No Build was that for those intersections, they could not remove and replace since not warranted, but they could leave in the existing traffic signals. Last month, engineering staff was notified that voting for a no build at those intersections effectively meant that the project could not go forward because they could not go forward with a project that allowed unwarranted signals to stay in place. Though engineering staff still believes it would be best to leave the existing signals in place while connecting them with Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), we understand that we cannot receive the federal funds for any of the project unless they are removed. The intersections would then likely become two-way stop intersections as that is the recommended configuration per the traffic operations study. We feel it is in the best interest of the entire Main Street signal needs to agree to remove at these two intersections in order to have the others replaced with all new and ITS elements. There is an agenda item following this one to recommend approval of the Main Street Reallocation grant. If this item is not approved, staff would change their recommendation to approve that item. The below is select text taken from the February 20, 2018 City Commission meeting: The second decision is whether to replace the traffic signal lights at 10 th Avenue West or remove with no replacement. The DOT s traffic operations study found that traffic signals at this intersection are no longer warranted. Feedback from this project s public input meeting about this intersection can be surmised as some concern with eliminating because of less control for truck speeds. In particular, those trucks coming in to the city from the west. After considering all variables and public input, of the three alternatives looked at, the Downtown Subarea Study s highest rated alternative was to maintain the signal and add some ITS elements such as detection and interconnection. Staff recommends to reflect that in the decision document.

4 Page 3 of 14 The third decision is whether to replace the traffic signal lights at 1 st Avenue West or remove with no replacement. The DOT s traffic operations study found that traffic signals at this intersection are no longer warranted. Feedback from this project s public input meeting for this intersection can be surmised as some concern with eliminating because of pedestrian crossing concerns at that intersection. There are currently a significant amount of people that park on the south side of Main near this intersection that cross at this intersection in order to go to work or shop on the north side. That point was reinforced at the Downtown Subarea Study meetings. Another point that was brought up at the Downtown Subarea Study meetings is the thought that for vehicle traffic, the 1 st Avenue stop light is unnecessarily close to Collins which negatively affects the vehicle flow through downtown. Both concerns can be improved vs. the existing with the addition of ITS items. The vehicular flow concern would be further improved if removed. After considering all variables and public input, of the two alternatives looked at, the Downtown Subarea Study s highest rated alternative was to maintain the signal and add some ITS elements such as detection and interconnection. Staff recommends to reflect that in the decision document. ATTACHMENTS: 1. August 15 th Recommended Decision Document 2. June 2 nd Decision Document 3. August 7 th Recommended Decision Document 4. Downtown Subarea Study Alternatives Rankings 5. Appendix A of Decision Document Location Map 6. Note: Appendices B through E of the Decision Document are available upon request of engineering staff. (58 pages) FISCAL IMPACT: Total project estimate is for $1.5M. The local share is estimated to be about $150K. The local share for this project is to be paid for by the 1% City Sales Tax Fund. STAFF IMPACT: Minimal LEGAL REVIEW: All of my commission data has been forwarded to the City Attorney for his review. RECOMMENDATION: Approve the staff recommended changes to the Decision Document most notably agreeing to the removal of the signals at 1 st Avenue West and 10 th Avenue West in order to receive the funding. SUGGESTED MOTION: I move to approve of the revised Decision Document as completed by staff which agrees to the removal of the signals at 1 st Avenue West and 10 th Avenue West in order to receive the funding.

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