Highway 371 North Improvement Project

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Pequot Lakes -Hwy 371 North July 19, 2005 Page 4 of 12 Woodman Street - Jokela Street {approx. '/2 mile} 35. From West Lake Street north to the proposed intersection between Grove Street and West Sibley Street on the west side of TH 371,MnDOT has shown all accesses are closed except for the signalized intersection at CSAH 11/Main Street. MnDOT was initially requested to consider right-in right-out accesses for the following: Front Street(southbound); West Woodman Street (southbound); East Woodman Street (northbound); and East Sibley Street(northbound). Whether adding these accesses is going to help relieve/manage congestion or just add to it on certain City streets is an arguable point. However, it does give local traffic other options besides being funneled through the one signalized intersection with CSAH 11/Main Street. No matter how many or where the accesses off of the new TH 371 are, the City needs to recognize it has to review parking as well as their own City street network for multiple routes to handle local traffic. After the above right in-right out requests were made, MnDOT reviewed them. Southbound at Front Street: MnDOT's latest layout shows a right-in right-out intersection on the west side of TH 371 between West Sibley and West Grove Streets. This layout includes the connection of Front Street to Brunes Street to form a continuous backage road. The Committee has discussed this layout and supports it. Southbound at West Woodman Street: The Committee is very concerned about safety and traffic patterns into and out of the school. Comments were made about possibly creating a kind of"U" loop for traffic coming from north or east of the school (into the school on Woodman and out to the highway on Lake). This would require at least a right-in from the highway onto West Woodman Street(no right-out). MnDOT has at least a couple of concerns with this right-in. One is that the right-turn lane for West Lake Street starts north of West Woodman and "cuts across"this closed intersection. To open West Woodman to a right-in would create an overlap situation with the right-turn lanes for these two intersections. Another concern that MnDOT has with a right-in at West Woodman relates to traffic weaving after turning at the traffic signal at CSAH 1 l/Main Street. The traffic volumes warrant it and the plans are for dual left turn lanes for westbound CSAH 11 to southbound TH 371. CSAH 11 traffic that is in the far left turn lane,turning JA130PQLAK\025-MnDOT TH371 Improvements\Meetings\071905 Council Workshop update-memo.doc