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Update on Routes 50 and 71
by Rebecca H. Haydon, WSB and Associates, Inc.
CSAH 50
Cass County is continuing with the plan development for the CSAH 50 corridor based on comments collected at Project Management Team meetings, neighborhood meetings and property owner meetings. The concept to date includes an alternative alignment (Alternative 2) from Choke Cherry Lane to Bearberry Trail. This new alignment would be located north of the existing garages and cabins on the north side of CSAH 50. It is anticipated that this new alignment would be tied into the existing CSAH 50 west of Choke Cherry Lane and east of Bearberry Trail to provide access to the adjoining residents.
The
remaining segments of CSAH 50 from CSAH 71 to Bearberry Trail and Choke Cherry
Lane to Trunk Highway 371 would maintain the existing alignment, except for
minor adjustments to meet a 40 mph State Aid design standard. Possible
intersection revisions have been identified at CSAH 71 and TH 371. Construction
is anticipated to begin in 2003 or 2004, dependent upon funding and right-of-way
acquisition.
CSAH 71
Numerous questions were raised at the Ten Mile Lake Association annual meeting. The following is a brief project history in attempt to answer some of these questions.
Prior to hiring WSB & Associates, Inc., Cass County had expended approximately $100,000 on preliminary design, concepts, and numerous meetings. The Cass County Board then authorized WSB to proceed with the design of CSAH 71. The County Board made this decision based on the approved Environmental Assessment, United States Forest Stipulation Agreement and Natural Preservation Route designation.
Cass County is now continuing with the plan development for the CSAH 71 corridor based on the previous agreement with the Chippewa National Forest and comments collected at the August 2001 and 2002 open houses, along with numerous meeting with property owners and concerned citizens.
The proposed plan includes maintaining the existing alignment, except for minor adjustments to meet the Natural Preservation Route standards and a few potential new alignment areas to address issues and concerns raised through the public involvement process and environmental investigation. Possible intersection revisions have been identified for consideration at Bachelor Road, Hiram Loop Road and CSAH 50. The potential new alignment areas include: Ten Mile Wildlife Reserve Area, Lundstrum Bay, and Hiram Loop Road. The next step in this process will be to present the revised concept plan for County Board approval. The typical section and proposed alignment shifts should be presented to the County Board for approval in September. Cass County and WSB & Associates, Inc. will then proceed with the design of CSAH 71. The construction limits in select areas will be staked by Cass County in the spring of 2003. This is later than previously thought due to delays in obtaining good base mapping. A public meeting is proposed in June of 2003, after the staking is complete. However, it is imperative to note that this meeting is not to discuss whether or not the project should move forward; it is a meeting to discuss what the proposed impacts are and if a significant feature has been missed, to see if some re-design can accommodate that feature. The final construction plans will then be brought to the Cass County Board in the summer of 2003 for their approval.
Numerous questions have been raised about the posting of the speed limit on CSAH 71 and speed limits in general. Neither the County, nor the townships have the legal right to post speed limits. Speed limits are set by the Commissioner of Transportation, per Minnesota State Statute. When construction is complete on CSAH 71, the Cass County Board will pass a resolution requesting the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) to perform a speed study. The speed limit will be set based on the outcome of this radar speed study and design considerations. The actual speed study usually takes about 1 to 1.5 years. In the interim, the county posts temporary speed limit signs, based on discussions with Mn/DOT staff. The Mn/DOT traffic engineer contacts Mr. David Enblom, County Engineer, before and after the study, to discuss what speed limit the County thinks is reasonable, what the study results are, and what the proposed posted speed limit will be. Mr. Enblom will note to Mn/DOT to keep in mind, for county liability reasons, that this road is a Natural Preservation Route with a 30 mph design speed.
Construction is anticipated to begin in 2004 or 2005, dependent upon funding availability and right-of-way acquisition. Please contact Mr. David Enblom, Cass County Engineer at 218-547-1211, Extension 101 or Ron Bray, WSB & Associates Project Manager at 888- 541-4800, Extension 177 with any comments or questions.
