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PAVING PART OF LRT TRAIL IN VICORIA

PART OF IT TO REMAIN GRAVEL

Council voted 4-0 on June 24th to approve the paving of a section of the LRT trail (the old railroad bed through town) from Kirke Lachen Park to the boat access near the Public Works shed on Stieger Lake Lane. The trail is currently gravel.

Ann Mahnke, Park and Rec Director, said the section is just under a mile in length and the project cost is $320,000. She said 61% of the cost will be covered by a federal grant (application was in 2009) 27% by Carver County, and 12% ($38,747) by the City of Victoria. City dollars come from the Park Improvement Fund. Completion is scheduled for the fall of 2013.

Councilmember Joe Pavelko asked about the rest of the LRT east to Park Drive and Rolling Acres. Replied Ann, "Three Rivers Park District did not want to participate so their segment is not being paved. The grant application did not include their section. The LRT is owned by the Regional Railroad Authority. Three Rivers has a permanent easement. This has been a challenge because the city does not own the land." It would cost another $350,000 and be another 4 to 6-year process once another grant application might be set in motion.

Said Councilmember Pavelko, "I would encourage this to be a top priority."

VICTORIA CITY COUNCIL RECOMMENDS

THAT HWY 5 RUMBLE STRIPS BE REMOVED

Council voted 4-0 (Jim Crowley absent) on June 24th to recommend that MnDOT eliminate the rumble strips that were installed down the center of Hwy 5 last year in August at the end of the big Hwy 5 Improvement Project.

The section to be removed runs from Bavaria Road/Rolling Acres Road west to Commercial Avenue, which is the entrance to the Hi-5 gas and convenience store. There have been resident complaints from 20 property owners about rumble noise around that curve in the highway ever since the rumble strips were installed.

Last fall MnDOT recommended rumble strips be installed for safety reasons. City Engineer Cara Geheren had recommended against them, pointing out they are recommended for rural areas, not metro areas. The Council, which did not include Joe Pavelko and Lani Basa at the time, chose to align with MnDOT's thinking.

MnDOT outlined four options for city councilmembers to review at this time and to choose one. Cara presented those options: 1) no modification, 2) add an additional yellow stripe to widen the center, 3) add a chip seal over the rumble, 4) roadway micro-surfacing to eliminate the rumble.

"The residents said to do whatever it takes," said Cara. "My recommendation is to eliminate the rumble strips from Bavaria road to downtown Victoria, as I recommended in 2012."

"I didn't come to that recommendation in 2012 lightly," she continued. "I think that MnDOT needs to take noise into consideration in their policy, as other policies around the country do. People doing the loudest complaining live the closest to the rumble strip. I think there's a place for rumble strips, but limited to more rural sections."

Scott McBride, a District Engineer for MnDOT, spoke first at the podium Monday night, thanking Victoria for their help on the 2012 Hwy 5 project which included widening the shoulders, improving the intersections, and building a new bridge, among other things.

"This is truly a big issue for people," he said regarding the rumble strips. "This is a big issue for MnDOT. I certainly want to acknowledge the emotion. We're working toward zero deaths on the highway. In the past, safety was reactionary. Rumble trips are a pro-active technique.

"A trunk highway is a poor neighbor to live next to. We're all learning as we go along here. Now we have a pocket of residents against this. But these strategies will save lives. There is irony to the fact that people [drivers] are crossing the centerline, which is what leads to deadly crashes. There is a very gray area here. The bottom line is that we know this strategy saves lives. I appreciate the opportunity to visit with you."

Mayor Tom O'Connor pointed out that Council usually doesn't open up a meeting for discussion, beyond the Open Forum or Visitor's Presentation, but would do so because of the importance of this issue.

Brad Johnson, a resident on Marigold Circle, located just south of the curve, spoke on behalf of the residents. "We had 35 people in this room a week ago," referring to a meeting in which MnDOT was present to hear resident voices. "There was no dissension among them. Now it sounds like we're going back to a year ago. This is not a rural agricultural farm area. There are 20,000 cars per day here. It was to MnDOT's surprise how much the rumble strips were getting hit. We had virtually no crashes before the rumble strips and none after the rumble strips. We'd like you to decide on option #4, their elimination."

Click here to continue Rumble Strips.