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Highway 12-Corridor Review Process <br />Planning Conunission Recommendation <br />Page 3 <br />Corridor Location <br />The Planning Commission recommends against the creation of a <br />new east/west access corridor through the City of Orono and <br />recommends that only existing corridors be considered to minimize <br />impact on existing land use. The Planning Commission unanimously <br />agreed that the southern corridor that both intersected and <br />would use sections of the right-of-way of the Luce Line were <br />unacceptable based on environmental concerns. The majority (6 to <br />1) recommends Highway 12 rather than County Road 6 because of the <br />potential Impact on rural residential zoning adjacent to County <br />Road 6, The Planning Commission viewed Highway 12 zoning to be <br />more compatible with an upgraded corridor. <br />The minority opinion asks Council to consider County Road 6 <br />beginning at Highway 101 rather than a future road linking 4-lane <br />Highway 12 at east border of Orono to County Road 6, the reason <br />being that there is more unused, undeveloped area adjacent to <br />existing road. The upgrade of County Road would have less <br />Impact on existing development than the upgrade of Highway 12. <br />If the current upgraded corridor reverts to a freeway at a later <br />date# County Road 6 is at the northern border of the City and <br />would not result in physically dividing the City as would the <br />upgrade to a freeway of Highway 12. <br />The Planning Commission unanimously encouraged the City of <br />Orono to work with MNDOT and the City of Long Lake to expedite <br />comprehensive safety improvements to Hiahway 12. The members are <br />concerned that the needed safety imp vements continue to be <br />delayed now to 1993 and based on future budget limitations may <br />not be realized in 1993. <br />Design of Upgraded Road <br />It was unanimously recommended that a "minimum width right- <br />of-way" roadway ("less than expressway") be constructed with a <br />concrete median barrier separating opposing lanes because of <br />space limitations. They strongly recommend against this roadway <br />ever being upgraded to a freeway status and would prefer to have <br />speeds not exceed 40-45 m.p.h. within the City of Orono. The <br />Planning Commission strongly encourages the Council to carefully <br />consider the findings of the modeling and traffic counts in order <br />to determine how much of an upgrade is needed and that based on <br />where the needs are from the west, that Highway 12 should not be <br />the only alternative considered for addressing regional traffic <br />flow and pressure from the west.