“The true test of character is… how we behave when we don’t know what to do.”
— John Holt
“Failure is success if we learn from it.”
— Malcolm Forbes
“Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them.”
— Anonymous
“Minds, like parachutes, only work when open.”
–Anonymous
“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”
–Albert Einstein
“He who knows patience knows peace.”
–Chinese proverb
“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
DID YOU KNOW????
From 1939 to 1942, there was an undersea post office in the Bahamas.
7-Eleven was the first convenience store to have televised advertising.
Iceland consumes more Coca-cola per capita than any other nation.
45% of Americans don’t know that the sun is a star.
THE MOORHEAD RAMP SAGA LIVES ON & ON & ON & ON….
On January 18, 2012, staff received the attached letter with Mn/DOT’s recommendation to not install traffic signals at the intersections of the westbound (WB) on-ramp & SE Main Ave and the eastbound (EB) off-ramp & CSAH 52 as part of the 2012 ramp reconstruction project. FHWA has concurred with Mn/DOT’s recommendation.
Staff has the following observations:
1. It is highly unlikely that the intersection of the WB on-ramp & SE Main Ave will require signalization now or in the future. The elimination of the east leg of this intersection (former alignment of 34th St) negates the need for a signal. A signal would result in unnecessary traffic delay along SE Main Ave.
2. The intersection of the EB off-ramp & CSAH 52 may require signalization. An analysis of the need could be completed based on traffic projections used in the technical justification for ramp reconstruction submitted to FHWA. However, an analysis developed from actual traffic counts collected after the ramps are re-opened would, undoubtedly, be more accurate.
3. The initial draft of an Intersection Control Evaluation report for the EB off-ramp & CSAH 52 intersection did not provide strong justification for a signal.
4. With reduced traffic volumes (due to the 34th St interchange), and the new signal at 34th St & Village Green Blvd, sufficient gaps may be created such that a signal at the EB off-ramp & CSAH 52 intersection is not needed. However, it is likely that a significant percentage of the traffic using this ramp will be slower-moving truck traffic, and therefore, gap use will not be as efficient and could create some delay for traffic using the off-ramp.
5. Based on the draft geometric layout, the EB off-ramp will have longer left and right turn lanes. This will allow more space for queuing and reduce the probability that traffic would back up onto I-94. One of the more significant problems with the previous ramp alignment was that left-turning vehicles (particularly trucks) stacked up beyond the start of the right turn lane which effectively eliminated the “free” right turn condition during peak traffic.
6. There may be some public expectation that signals will be installed at one or both intersections because the intersections were previously signalized. If a signal is not constructed, and significant queuing results, negative public comment is possible.
7. Staff is somewhat concerned with bike/ped movements without a signal. There is an existing off-road trail on the east side of SE Main Ave that ends at the EB off-ramp. From the ramp to Village Green Blvd, on-road bike lanes are in place. Southbound bike/ped traffic will be required to cross CSAH 52 at
the EB off-ramp without the benefit of a traffic signal. The only alternative is to extend the off-road bike/ped path all the way to Village Green Blvd which would be challenging given limited right-of-way along the east side of CSAH 52.
8. The City does not have jurisdiction over the EB off-ramp & CSAH 52 intersection. Mn/DOT has jurisdiction for the ramp and Clay County has jurisdiction for CSAH 52.
9. In the attached letter, Mn/DOT has confirmed the City’s proposed schedule for completion of the ramp reconstruction project (Fall, 2012).
10. If the City Council does not concur with Mn/DOT’s recommendation, project development, design, and construction will be delayed. As a result, the project may not be completed and operational in the Fall, 2012. If the City Council does not concur with Mn/DOT’s recommendation, staff proposes that the Council adopt a resolution directing staff to prepare documentation to justify construction of a traffic signal and seek support from Clay County before presenting the justification to Mn/DOT.
If the City Council concurs with Mn/DOT’s recommendation, no action is needed.
Thank you to Chuck Chadwick for reporting this to the Moorhead Business Association members.
ANYONE interested in joining the MBA is very welcomed and we would like to have some more WOMEN members!! DAYCARE PROVIDERS, you have a ‘pulse’ on what citizens in our community think about a lot of issues. Come join us—we can use more minds and energy. And if we’re going to MOVE Moorhead we need both!!
7:00 a.m. WED. mornings at RIVER POINT on the corner of 11th St. S. and 24th Ave. S.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RAUL GOMEZ!! (ur what…40 now??)
Any questions and comments regarding ROTE can be sent to sooasheim@aol.com