02/25/1993 - City Council Public Works Committee MINUTES
PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MEETING
FEBRAUARY 25, 1993
A meeting of the Public Works Committee was convened at 9:25 a.m., on February 25,
1993, in Conference Room A of the Eagan Municipal Center. Those present were
Committee Chair Councilmember Ted Wachter, Councilmember Sandra Masin, County
Commissioner Dee Richards, County Commissioner Patrice Bataglia, City Public Works
Director Tom Colbert and City Administrator Tom Hedges.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the history, recent City Council and County
Board actions and future options regarding the intersection and signalization
improvements of Lone Oak Road (County Road 26) and Lexington Avenue (County Road
43) identified as City Project 601A and County Project 26-16.
Chairman Wachter opened the meeting by identifying the concerns the City had with the
project as it pertains to the overall cost, loss of full access to affected property owners
and the application of different design standards for this intersection as compared to Pilot
Knob Road one mile to the west. Commissioner Bataglia indicated it would be difficult
to do design comparisons without having traffic counts and turning movements for any
and all intersections being compared to ensure that there are similarities for comparison.
Councilmember Masin identified the concerns raised by Crate Prospects as it pertains to
the current problem of traffic congestion for northbound 35E through the metered ramp
and its potential for backing up into the intersection and possibly negating any benefit
from the improvement.
Commissioner Bataglia recognized that there were several different issues and concerns
that appeared to be going in different directions. She recommended that there appears
to be a need to get everyone together on the same level to discuss all issues collectively
(I.e., traffic counts, safety issues, congestion, median/access restrictions, phasing, etc.).
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Commissioner Richards felt thatbased on past litigation and liability issues, there wasn't
much hope for a majority of the County Board members to approve a design that
incorporated any local access breaks in roadway designs that incorporate medians.
There were several comments concurred by all that, recognizing the hardships and
impact on the adjacent property owners, this is not a "perfect" design but taking into
consideration the overall safe and efficient needs of both the present and future
commuting public, its a workable solution.
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Commissioner Bataglia informed the City that the Dakota County Board was firmly against
compromising the design by having a median phased in over a 2-3 year period due to
the increased expense and disruption to perform a future improvement that is recognized
and needed at the present time.
It was the consensus of both Commissioners that if the modified design that was
considered at the January 19 meeting were brought back to the County Board with full
concurrence from the City Council, it still, in all likelihood, would not receive support from
a majority of the County Board Commissioners. Both Commissioners reiterated their
sensitivity to the local issue and commitment to represent the City's interests.
In response to a question by Councilmember Masin as to the future of this project,
Commissioner Bataglia indicated that the County would not initiate this project without
being assured that there was local support due to the fact that, in comparison to other
needs throughout the County,this does not have the level of problems that would warrant
the County pursuing against the City's wishes. Tom Colbert provided an accident history
for the past two years that showed a total of 21 accidents with four personal injuries
occurring at this intersection with 8 (7 and 1) accidents occurring in '91 and 13 (10 and
3) occurring in '92 and none being experienced to date in '93. Commissioner Richards
indicated that the County had passed a Resolution (copy attached), forwarded it to the
City and is waiting for the City's response as to the future of this project.
Both Councilmembers Wachter and Masin recognize the need for this project to proceed
and will report the results of this meeting to the City Council at a workshop scheduled for
5:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 2.
The meeting adjourned at 10:25 a.m.
Minutes prepared and submitted by
rr of Public Works
TAC/jj " ,
Attachment
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BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
DATE February 2. 1993 RESOLUTION NO. 93-109
Motion by Commissioner Turner Seconded by Commissioner Batasl i a
WHEREAS, Dakota County Project 26-19, scheduled for 1993 in the approved
Capital Improvement Program (CIP) , includes center medians on CSAH 26 (Lone .
Oak Road) and center medians on CR 43 (Lexington Avenue) at its
intersection area; and
WHEREAS, the County Engineer has suggested temporarily constructing a short
median on CR -43 north of CSAH 26 which would permit left turns until such
time as conditions. show the median is needed for intersection operation,
traffic safety or traffic congestion; and
WHEREAS, the City of Eagan did not approve the project at the January 19,
1993 Council meeting with a vote of three for, one against and one
abstention; and
WHEREAS, the Commissioners at the January 26, 1993 Physical Development
Board Committee expressed concern regarding safety and liability in a
compromise design with a shortened raised north median; and
WHEREAS, the center median design is necessary to provide acceptable
traffic flow directions and to restrict unsafe left turns close to the
intersection; and
WHEREAS, the existing traffic volumes combined with the 20 year traffic
forecast indicate that the intersection of CSAH 26 and County Road 43 is
very heavily traveled and will continue to be a major crossroad of high
level County highways.
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YES NO
Harris X Harris
Maher X Maher
Bataglia X Bataglia
Richards X Richards
Turner X Turner
Jensen X Jensen
Loeding X Loading _
State of Minnesota
County of Dakota
I.Joan L. Kendall. Clerk to the Board of the County of Dakota, State of Minnesota,do hereby certify that I have compared the
foregoing copy of a resolution with the original minutes of the proceedings of the Board of County Commissioners, Dakota County,
Minnesota,at their session held on the 2nd day of February 199q. now on file in the County
Administration Department, and have found the same to he a true and correct copy thereof.
Witness my hand and official seal of Dakota County this —, day of 444‘44y, if f
_...- lS_..
,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Dakota County Board . of
Commissioners supports the proposed design of the intersection of CSAH 26
(Lone Oak Road) at CR 43 (Lexington Avenue) , with no median breaks or
shortening -of medians as approved by the County Board on August 6, 1991.
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