6.4 Consider Adoption of Downtown Plan Update

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Neighborhood Composition Main Street is designated as a Commercial street running east and west between Front Street and the roundabout. The adjacent land uses are commercial,a City park,a multi-unit condominium,City Hall, and three single family dwellings. The Traffic Study considered lane layouts and control types at the intersection of Main Street and Patriot Avenue. It was recommended that the right turn lanes on Patriot Avenue at Main Street be removed, allowing Patriot Avenue to be narrowed in the area around Main Street. With the desire to keep heavy vehicle traffic on Patriot Avenue and not use alternate routes through Pequot Lakes,adding on-street parking on Patriot Avenue is not recommended. Parking would cause more interruptions in the traffic flow and create a confined feel, negatively impacting how truck drivers view the corridor. The Traffic Study also analyzed the existing signalized control. The existing turning movement volumes at the intersection do not meet the warrants for signal installation. Other options for traffic control are an all-way stop and roundabout control. Traffic volumes are too high and balanced to consider side- street stop control. The benefits of all-way stop over a signal is usually seen during off-peak times when vehicle volumes are lower. The same is true for a roundabout. Roundabouts can handle higher traffic volumes than all-way stops and have been proven safer than traditional intersections, preventing most serious injury and fatal crashes. Due to the large construction costs for a roundabout,it was determined that the timing on the existing signal could be updated. The Traffic Study noted that Main Street east of Patriot Avenue is approximately 45 feet wide. With two westbound lanes and one eastbound lane on this block, Main Street could be reduced in width. With the Paul Bunyan Trail crossing on this block, reducing the width of the roadway would reduce pedestrian and bicycle exposure time at this location. This could be achieved by adding a bump out on the south side of Main Street at the trail crossing, reducing the eastbound through lane to be approximately 12 feet wide. This could be done using pylons or with a concrete curb extension. The Traffic Study also looked at the intersection of Main Street and Rasmussen Road. This is an all-way stop control with one lane on each approach. Other control types available would be either a single- lane roundabout or a side-street stop-controlled intersection. A roundabout may not be a good option at this location due to the need for a larger footprint. A side-street stop control would remove the stop signs along Main Street. Vehicles along Main Street would no longer need to stop at this intersection meaning speeds will be increased through the intersection. With pedestrian crossings on all sides of this intersection,higher speeds would not be desired and would make crossing more difficult and likely less safe. Changing the traffic control at this intersection may not be appropriate. In addition,to accommodate pedestrians/bicycles as well as keep heavy vehicle traffic on main routes,one way to accomplish this would be install curb bump outs to reduce the crossing distance and making it more challenging for large vehicles to turn. The bump outs could be created with paint and pylons. Utility Overview • Sanitary sewer(Front Street to Rasmussen Road) • City water(Front Street to Rasmussen Road) • Storm sewer(Front Street to Washington Avenue) Traffic Study • Add removable curb bump outs. Pequot Lakes Downtown Plan—Updated July,2022 20