Minutes 10-06-03Richfield Transportation Committee
Minutes
October 6, 2003
Committee members in attendance: Steve Lindgren and Barb Kritzman (Co-chairs), Bob Shotwell, Bob Elliott, Gary Ness, Bill Kilian, Todd Nollenberger and Suzanne Sandahl.
Others in attendance: Gertrude Ulrich, Ken Meter, Ray and Judy Goebel, Larry Wozniczka, Ted Shuler, Robert D. Nelson, Richard Stembridge, Lois Andersen, Jim Jankoski, Dale and Kay Schwie,
Lorie and Bruce Rick, Karla Dagnault, Dan Casey, Mary Kay Petersen, Andre Burgaud, Bill Murphy, Carol Swenson, Carol and Hannah Gilbert, Nancy Wolfe and Alan Voight. Richfield staff:
Tom Foley and Mike Eastling. MnDOT staff: Chris Roy. WSB staff: Tony Heppelmann.
Steve Lindgren served as Chair for the meeting.
The agenda was adopted as presented.
The minutes of the September 4 meeting were accepted after Steve Lindgren asked for a correction of a comma replacing a period on the second page of the minutes. Ken Meter asked that
the minutes be corrected to say that he asked to be present when the city staff revised the evaluation criteria. The Committee then accepted the minutes as corrected in a motion made
by Bill Kilian and seconded by Bob Elliott.
Ken Meter’s Comments to the Committee. He asked that he have input on the evaluation criteria. He mentioned that three years ago the ramp decision was considered a “done deal.” The residents
of Humboldt/Girard came up with three alternatives: a south loop for the 76th Street ramp; moving the ramp; and, closing the ramp. He said his group in the past three years has influenced
several alternatives being considered by the Committee for the 76th Street ramp. He found that only one option meets the neighbors’ objective of not acquiring homes and that is the
no ramp alternative. He would prefer to close the ramp rather than lose homes.
He wanted the Committee to be aware that this is a unique neighborhood with a long history of close personal friendships. People have formed close bonds with their neighbors. The neighborhood
has oak trees, some of which are 200 years old. He said that he was concerned that the project could lead to commercial redevelopment of parts of the neighborhood
He pointed out that there are four ramps within a short distance that provide access to northbound 35W. They are: at 82nd Street; the eastbound 494 ramp;
the westbound 494 ramp; and, the 76th Street ramp. With this much access he believes the loss of 26 homes should not occur to retain the fourth access at 76th Street.
Ken Meter cited Walter Kulash that adding freeway lanes does not solve transportation problems because they attract more traffic. Ken submitted an editorial in the Star Tribune favoring
limiting right of way for transportation improvements. He also submitted an editorial on the Lake Street access issue. He urged the Committee to reject the 76th Street ramp as part
of a failed freeway strategy.
He said he appreciated the opportunity to speak to the Committee early in the study process on the 76th Street ramp. He said it was difficult to get all of the neighborhood ideas and
issues heard since he was not part of the committee. He said that the neighborhood has come up with many of the ideas now being considered. New ideas, for example moving the 35W
mainlines further to the west, have come up as part of the Committee’s work.
Ken Meter submitted a petition signed a year ago by residents in the Humboldt/Girard neighborhood asking the City Council to take the position that a new 76th Street ramp be built within
the existing right of way or that there not be a ramp. Ken also thought the access to northbound 35W could be accommodated at Lyndale Avenue and I-494.
Bob Shotwell’s Proposal Bob Shotwell presented his idea of having Girard Avenue traffic travel underneath 76th Street by building a bridge on 76th Street over Girard Avenue. Girard Avenue
would extend to the north of 76th Street and reconnect to 76th Street at the existing 76th Street intersection with 77th street or at the intersection of 77th Street with Meridian Crossings.
This would mean that traffic would travel from the Humboldt Avenue frontage road (north of the existing 76th Street), south of Berea Church and onto Emerson Avenue (north of 77th Street)
before connecting to 77th Street at the Meridian Crossings signalized intersection. The proposal does produce conflicts with underground utilities and has a ten-foot grade drop from
the current Humboldt Avenue frontage road. In response to a question, Bob Shotwell explained that his proposal would move the northbound on-ramp closer to the 76th Street Bridge to
protect homes.
Comments by residents included- one resident likes the secluded nature of the neighborhood and another said the proposal might introduce traffic onto Girard Avenue.
Carol Gilbert, a resident on Fremont Avenue, commented that 35W northbound becomes congested after 7:05 a.m. on workdays. She avoids the 76th Street ramp if she commutes any later than
that. She does not want the loss of tax base and loss of homes.
Larry Wozniczka’s Proposal He referred to Alternative #6 of nine alternatives generated in 2001 by MnDOT as being similar to what he had in mind. The freeway access would be on 77th
Street between the Sportmart Store and the Meridian Crossing parking garage. The current signal at the main entrance to Meridian Crossing would be moved southeast on 77th Street and
combined with the new ramp entrance. Mr. Wozniczka said the Alternative #6 layout would be modified to allow a direct truck entrance from the shops at Lyndale site to the new ramp
so that trucks could enter and exit on the new ramp. His alternative would eliminate the need for a northbound ramp at 76th Street. He did say that the proposal needed some refinements.
The proposal increases spacing between signals.
Chris Roy of MnDOT was asked to comment on the proposal. He noted the close proximity of two intersections, the first at 77th Street and the new ramp, and the second at a new entrance
to the Meridian Crossing site. He also said that the 90-degree turn at the south end of the ramp to go west provided a very tight radius for trucks to make the turn. The tight radius
would slow trucks down. The length of the acceleration ramp would have to be long enough so that trucks can reach a speed high enough to safely merge with traffic on the other ramp
from westbound 494 to go north on 35W. The acceleration length would have to be checked.
Bill Kilian noted that the need for symmetry is important so that people can get to and from the freeway. Mr. Wozniczka explained that the exit ramp could extend underneath 76th Street
and wrap around the Galyan’s site to connect to Knox Avenue. This eliminates a signal on 76th Street at the existing 76th street exit ramp from 35W.
Larry Wozniczka also presented a paper with his ideas for inclusion in the Committee’s evaluation criteria. The paper is attached to the meeting minutes.
Tony Heppelmann asked the Committee for direction on how far the staff needed to go in exploring these alternatives.
Evaluation Factors The Committee considered the nine proposed factors or topics for evaluating alternatives. Bob Elliot thought that there should be a distinction made between city issues
and regional issues in the criteria. Bill Kilian wondered if the nine factors were sufficient. After some discussion Item Nine on Neighborhood and Social Concerns was divided into
two topics- one focusing on neighborhood issues and the other focusing on citywide issues.
Bob Nelson, a Girard Avenue resident, suggested using a 5-point system to weigh the different factors. The Committee will be asked to perform the weighting task before the next meeting
in November. Instructions will be sent to Committee members and they will be asked to return them to Tom Foley so they can be
calculated for the next meeting. Ken Meter was encouraged to have the neighborhood perform its own weighting process.
There was some discussion on when construction would begin on I-494 and in the area of 76th Street and whether the 76th Street decision needed to be made now. Chris Roy of MnDOT said
that work could occur in the period from 2013 to 2023; that is ten to twenty years from now.
Tony Heppelmann pointed out that it is necessary to resolve the 76th Street ramp issue now in order to proceed with Lyndale Avenue improvements in 2005 or 2006. It is necessary to get
agreement on the I-494/I-35W interchange layout to be able to design the Lyndale Avenue Bridge to fit with both the existing roadways and the planned future roadways.
There was discussion that if it was necessary to acquire homes for the I-494/I-35W interchange it may be 10 to twenty years before the homes would have to be acquired. The uncertainty
of whether or not your property would be bought was a concern of several people. It was pointed out that making a decision on the 76th Street ramp would remove the uncertainty and that
it would allow people to better plan their future. It was also pointed out that if a home had to be acquired for the roadways that the owner might remain in their home for ten to
twenty years or that if they chose to move funds would be available to purchase the property. The Committee suggested having someone explain the right of way acquisition process to
the committee and the neighborhood.
The Committee had asked that residents west of I-35W should be informed of the possible impacts on them of several alternatives. City staff tried to contact the chairman of the traffic
calming group west of I-35W. Mike Eastling discovered that he had moved out of Richfield. City staff will try to contact someone else from that traffic calming group and the people
living on Humboldt Avenue west of I-35W.
Agenda for the Next Meeting- The committee will select the factors for use in the evaluation matrix and then try to use a scoring system to rate their level of importance.
The next Committee meeting will be on Monday, November 3, 2003 at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall.
Meeting adjourned at 9:25 p.m.
Attachments (Ken Meter’s written comments and The Alley article on Ingebretsen’s on Lake Street, Star Tribune Editorial on Sept. 27, 2003, Larry Wozniczka’s proposed evaluation criteria
and proposed design alternative)