10-14-1996 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR ORONO CITY COUNCIL, MEETING HELD ON OCTOBER 14, 1996 (Corridor Selection for Hwy 12 Upgrade - Continued) • Goldsmith asked if any study has been done comparing traffic west of 394 versus east of Long Lake to downtown with the number of accidents. It is his belief that accidents caused from the stacking up of traffic is greater than in Long Lake and Orono. O'Keefe said he believed the opposite based on accident reports. Accident tables were available to the public on the information table. Suzanne Plated, North Brown Road in Long Lake, said she was not convinced the new roadway was needed. She agreed that there is waiting but not compared to that on Interstate 494. Platen opined that the no build option might be a better solution. She did not feel the people of Long Lake and Orono would want the flashing arrows and the like which would be used in the reversible lane proposal. She cited an example of owning a home overlooking Hwy 169 and the difficulty in selling and the loss of value. Platen asked O'Keefe what the proposal would be to those properties not taken but affected by depressed values. O'Keefe noted that noise travels along the line of sight; and if the road is visible, it will have an impact. O'Keefe said Mn/DOT will mitigate and do what they can to eliminate noise and sight impact with berms and noise walls to capture and reduce the noise. As far as depressing values, O'Keefe said he did not know if this was true. Ms. Karlin, Orono, noted attending a meeting in Maple Plain where Mn/DOT was asked why the road was started. It was said it would be to carry 5,000 more cars expected in the next 20 years and for a truck route. 1100 homes were also reported planned to be • built in Watertown. She questioned why Hwy 7 was not being improved instead. O'Keefe said there was not the demand to use Hwy 7 as there is with 394/12, which is a direct route to downtown and Ridgedale. Hwy 12 is identified on the National Highway System and is of a higher classification due to the population it serves. Karlin was also informed, when asked, that the highway improvement would extend 300 -400' west of CoRd 6. Bruce McFadden, Orono, said he saw the improvement of Hwy 12 over Hwy 7 as satisfaction of political pressure adding that the highway would create traffic. He saw a long term effect beyond this project where more roadway will be requested. He asked O'Keefe if creation of traffic was taken into consideration and what measures are being taken in areas with changes to properties such as berms. O'Keefe said he disagreed that the highway would create traffic noting that people create traffic with households, employers, and shopping centers. O'Keefe said barriers are a committed portion of the design development and a key area to address. O'Keefe said there will be three dimensional designs used in working with neighborhoods for berms, bridges, and landscaping to show the results as realistically as possible. The hearing was closed for questions. 8 •