WORKSHOP ITEM Jon Haukaas, Public Works Director
Title
TH 65 UPDATE
Background
Improvements to TH 65 have been identified as a primary independent Priority in the City of Blaine Strategic Plan.
Since 2017, staff has been working with MnDOT to update the TH65 Corridor study from 2005 that led to the 121st Avenue, Main Street, and 129th Avenue bridges over TH65. The current work and project will look to address congestion and safety issues along TH65 from CR10 on the south in Spring Lake Park to Bunker Lake Boulevard in Ham Lake.
Any transportation project impacting large areas is required to complete a NEPA review (the National Environmental Policy Act). NEPA can be a very long and involved process that is used to consider all alternatives and eventually get to a ‘selected alternative’. It is also typically not started until all funding for a conceptual project is identified. We agreed to be part of a pilot project for MnDOT to create a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study. The PEL is a newer process meant to perform a large amount of the upfront work and ‘jumpstart’ the NEPA process. The PEL was used to get to a final three viable alternatives that are both economically feasible and constructible.
The City of Blaine is focusing on 99th Avenue as the intersection to a City Street that can have the most impact on improving the corridor. The City is also supporting Anoka County in its future work at 109th Avenue. The 99th Avenue intersection and its associated frontage road access improvements has been estimated to have a cost in the range of $29M plus potential right of way acquisition.
Staff will provide a general update on current issues and concerns with the corridor:
- TH65 Coalition
- Status of Planning and Environmental Linkages Study
- Meeting with Commissioner of Transportation
- Status of funding - secured and requested
Review near term action plans:
- JPA with Anoka County for environmental review of the corridor
- RFP for design consultant
- Additional funding requests through the State legislature
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Longer term action plans:
- Completion of NEPA process to determine ‘selected alternative’
- East and West side frontage road improvement projects
- Grade separated intersection construction schedule