4. Feasibility study Minnewashta Pkwy , .
y
I '
CITY OF
,......,
0,,
1 045 •,,
, t
1
CHANHASSEN
`-.= 690 COULTER DRIVE • P.O. BOX 147 • CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA 55317
I (612937-1900 • FAX (612) 937-5739
)'N Acbi,.. n1 ^,•y e:-t:lict
MEMORANDUM v G X4 .../_ ,�°
TO: Don Ashworth, City Manager °— —��' =-
I �L°'1F J.1;,1.'`, tr b;."`�T'SsM.1?
FROM: Charles Folch, City Engineer
IDATE: June 5, 1991 ., ,-J ______
SUBJ: Accept Feasibility Study for Upgrade to Minnewashta
I Parkway; Call.,Public Hearing
Improvement Project 90-15
The attached report represents the culmination of extensive
I efforts to determine the feasibility of upgrading Minnewashta
Parkway between Trunk Highway 7 and Trunk Highway 5 to current
State Aid road design standards . There are a number of inherent
I problems associated with the existing Minnewashta Parkway such
as; storm drainage, traffic and sight distance problems,
deficient road section design, and geometric hazards at the
I intersection with Trunk Highway 5 and Trunk Highway 7. There
have also been a number of resident complaints raised concerning
the safety of pedestrians and bikers who make use of this
roadway .
IAs a part of the data collection process for this study, two
neighborhood meetings were held to provide preliminary
I information on the specific elements of the proposed project and
to acquire corresponding resident input. It became obvious that
there were a few common concerns shared by the residents . These
I concerns involved the proposed road width ( 36 feet) , the proposed
crossover of the trail/walkway system, the speed of vehicles
currently travelling the roadway, the volume of traffic that
would result due to this road improvement, and the proposed
I assessment amount. As a result of these two meetings and
follow-up investigations, the State approved a reduction in the
proposed roadway width to 32 feet, the walkway/trail system is
I proposed to be constructed entirely on the east side of the
roadway, information on predicted future traffic volumes from the
recently completed Eastern Carver County Transportation Study was
provided and the proposed unit assesment rate has been reduced
1 from $2, 340 to $1, 250 .
An alternative raised by some residents at the neighborhood
I meetings was to scale down the improvement project to only a
bituminous overlay. During the feasibility study soil borings
were taken by Braun Engineering and Testing Co. to determine the
I
Mr . Don Ashworth
June 5 , 1991 1
Page 2
existing roadway section and subsoil condition. The findings of I
this soil investigation are included in the Appendix B section of
this report. The borings found varying depths of existing
pavement thickness and numerous sections of poor subgrade soils .
The soils report concluded that "Due to the condition and
variability of the existing pavement section and subgrade we
recommend reconstruction of the existing pavement section should
be considered."
One other important aspect of this project is that the southern
1300 feet of this roadway is within the corporate limits of
Victoria. Since the City of Victoria is not eligble to be on the
Municipal State Aid Road System, construction costs associated
with this segment of the roadway could not be funded through
State Aid dollars unless the roadway was annexed by the City of
Chanhassen . In April, the primary elements of this project
including potential options to deal with the southern 1300 feet
of the roadway were presented to the Victoria City Council. The
City of Victoria has since adopted a resolution recommending a
land swap in order to allow the City of Chanhassen to annex this
portion of Minnewashta Parkway including the six properties imme-
diately east of the roadway. However, a Joint Powers Agreement
will need to be prepared to assess properties on the west side of
the roadway as undeveloped units remaining within the City of '
Victoria corporate limits .
The project is considered feasible from an engineering standpoint
at a total estimated cost of $2,112, 738 . The proposed project
funding would utilize Municipal State Aid Funds to account for
nearly 50% of the cost with the remaining share to be divided
among special assessments, General Obligation Bonds and trunk
watermain funds . This roadway project would also function
compatibly with MnDOT's proposed improvements to reconstruct and
signalize the intersections at Trunk Highway 5 and Trunk Highway
7 scheduled for November of 1994 and February of 1995,
respectively.
It is believed that this feasibility report has thoroughly '
addressed the elements commonly associated with this type of
roadway improvement project and in addition the special concerns
raised by area residents . The project funding has been developed
in a creative yet logical manner which is advantageous to the
benefitting properties. It is therefore recommended that the
feasibility study for the improvements to Minnewashta Parkway,
Project No. 90-15 , be accepted and that,a Public Hearing be
called for the June 24, 1991 City Council meeting.
Attachment: Feasibility Report, May 20, 1991
c: Todd Gerhardt, Asst. City Manager
Dave Hempel, Sr. Engineering Technician '
Paul Krauss, Planning Director
Bill Engelhardt, Engelhardt & Associates