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The Victoria GAZETTE |
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City Scoop Continued |
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December 2009 |
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86TH STREET TO BE RECONSTRUCTED IN 2011 IN THE MEANTIME, WATCH YOUR SPEED After one more hour of discussion on November 23rd, councilmembers 3 to 2 to move forward with staff recommendations for short-term and long-term solutions to the issues on 86th Street. Those in favor: Mayor Mary Thun, Councilmembers Jim Paulsen and Tom O’Connor. Those against: Councilmembers Tim Amundsen and Kim Roden. City Engineer Cara Geheren reported that she and the city administrator met with residents at 86th Street and talked about the three issues: speed, volume, and safety. She also met with the City of Chaska. “We evaluated several options,” said the city engineer. “City staff is not recommending closure. The road does provide access to the Victoria Recreation Center. It carries our residents, and potential accesses might be needed.” About speed bumps or humps she said, “I’ve seen drivers going off the road to avoid them. They increase noise with the vehicles stopping and starting.” About the close proximity of homes to the road, she said, “There’s not enough room to add significant berms or landscaping.” Finally, Cara said the recommended solution is reconstruction of the street and incorporating construction of a bike trail, working with residents toward that end. “We’d want to get into preliminary design and show that to the neighbors,” she said. “We have the capacity to get this road into our State Aid system and be eligible for State Aid funds,” she said. “Chaska is willing to work with us and with the property to the south of 86th Street. The construction year would be 2011.” “We have short-term and long-term solutions,” she said. “The City of Chaska has expressed a willingness to work with us for the short-term, with increase patrol from their Police Department.” In conclusion, she stated, “We recommend that the city move forward with street reconstruction.” Councilmember Tim Amundsen questioned why there was no mention of guard rails in the short-term solution. “That is something we can do right now for safety,” he said, as it would keep cars, fast moving or otherwise, from veering into nearby backyards. Councilmember Roden agreed. City Administrator Don Uram pointed out that people are walking, jogging, and biking on 86th Street, which presents increased safety concerns. When asked about the safety history of the road, Carver County Deputy Josh Baker replied, “I’m only aware of a garbage truck slipping of the roundabout. I’m not aware of any vehicles going off the roadway.” Administrator Uram said that Victoria Fire Chief Tim Walsh recollects no accidents on 86th Street. Jamie Kruse, resident of nearby Allegheny Grove, said, “This is a very sentimental issue for us. I think you’re on the right path. My concern is how do we get from here to there. Law enforcement is currently minimal. Is it reasonable to ask for speed bumps in the short term? Yes. It would change behavior.” Said Deputy Baker, “We spend a tremendous amount of time over there. I’ve personally seen speed come down. The lion’s share of the traffic is under 45 mph. The vehicles I am stopping, three-fourths of them are Victoria residents -- Allegheny Grove and Deer Run. I have directed deputies to patrol the morning and evening rush times.” He said from a hidden location he made one speed stop in 90 minutes. He said that vehicles are not going as fast as people think they are. Resident Vicki Bont agreed that it’s deceiving and so she uses cruise control. Resident Tony Rockford suggested closing the street temporarily until the issues are resolved. Stated Councilmember Tom O’Connor, “Speeding is a problem and a fact of life. You can increase your speed on that road without even trying. Has there been a demonstrated problem?” The answer was no. Concluded Councilmember Paulsen, “We are an organic body. These are the facts we’ve got. We’ve got to execute it.”
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