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MnDOT to take out 3 stoplights in downtown Crookston as part of the Highway 2 reconstruction and traffic calming project

At the Crookston City Council meeting on Monday evening, Matt Upgren of the Minnesota Department of Transportation presented information on the Trunk Highway 2 Downtown Sidewalk Replacement. “In the fall of 2021, MnDOT and the City of Crookston entered into a Joint Powers agreement together, whereby a qualified consultant would complete the analysis and evaluation of the project corridor,” says Upgren. “That corridor study was paid for approximately two-thirds by MnDOT, one-third by Crookston, which corresponded to the ownership of those corridor segments.”

Upgren mentioned a community review panel was formed with various representatives from different groups and roadway users throughout the community. “Based on feedback from that panel, the top priority revolved around pedestrian safety and vehicle speed reduction,” says Upgren, who presented the final vision for the council. “The final preferred alternative vision for the corridor keeps the one-way traffic which you guys are used to, reduces the cross-section down from three through lanes to two lanes, keeps parking, and of course, it reconstructs all sidewalks to be ADA compliant,” says Upgren. “We have also added some traffic calming measures, some bump-outs, bike lanes, and things like that.”

As part of the corridor project, there will be some traffic light changes. “As part of the corridor study, the two signals on 2nd Street, both at Broadway and Main, were flagged at the time for insufficient vehicle volumes so they do not warrant re-installation.”

MnDOT did not initially complete an Intersection Control Evaluation so one has recently been completed by MnDOT with the help of SRF Consulting out of Fargo. “We actually looked at all the signals along highway 2 in the project footprint area,” says Upgren. “What our traffic office has found is that they confirmed as suspected in the original corridor study, that the 2nd Street signals are not meeting the warranted threshold for re-installation. Furthermore, beyond that, the signal at Ash Street also does not meet the re-installation threshold.”

What does this mean going forward? Council Member Jerde asked if Upgren was saying that we are taking out traffic lights and not putting them back in. “Yeah, what we are saying is based on everything we have in front of us today,” said Upgren. “The warrant analysis is our way as a consistent statewide method of evaluating intersections and justifying signals. Based on the data we have today, those three signals cannot be reinstalled with the project, the three that I listed. The other two on Robert Street can.”

Mayor Dale Stainbrook asked Upgren if MnDOT would consider a Pedestrian Crossing Beacon at Robert and Ash if they cannot reinstall traffic signals there. “That is something we have done. We call it a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB), but that’s what you are describing,” says Upgren. “It’s a push-button activated flasher system that grabs the driver’s attention.”

Another question came from Council Member Dylane Klatt. He asked if the City of Crookston wanted the traffic signals, and if it would be at cost to the City to put them in? “MnDOT’s position on that is that even if the city wants to offer to pay for them and maintain them, we still cannot put them in if they are not somehow legally justified,” says Upgren. “It comes back to, as a state agency, we need to do things consistently around the state. If we do things differently for this city that is special, or different, somebody could build a negligence case if someone is injured or killed there. From our legal counsel standpoint, we are bound to the manuals and laws that govern us, so we are saying no, even if the city offers to pay for it, we would say it can’t go there.”

Jake Nordic, a Consulting Project Manager for the project, spoke briefly on some of its highlights. Some of those highlights were that parking will remain, streets along the corridor will be two-lane, elevated bike lanes on the right side of the streets, and wide sidewalks on both sides. Nordic also spoke of how the pedestrian crossings will be shorter as the lanes are being reduced and how sight lines will be improved.

MnDOT plans to hold an Open House later this summer for Crookston residents and business owners to visit about the project, ask questions, and voice concerns.

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