Highway 210 traffic report unveiled

BAXTER - The city of Baxter's population is projected to double by 2030, from 8,200 residents to more than 16,000 residents, says Mayor Darrel Olson.

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And those new residents will drive cars. Lots of cars.

On Monday, Baxter city officials - including members of the city council and four city commissions - met in a joint meeting to hear the draft report of a traffic study for Excelsior Road and Knollwood and Inglewood drives along the Highway 210 corridor to deal with future traffic issues.

No action was taken or is expected to be taken in the near future, said Olson.

MnDOT made restrictions along Elder Drive onto Highway 210 in Baxter last fall, the site of three serious collisions, including two fatalities within the past two years. The city of Baxter recently conducted a traffic study of the Highway 210 corridor to look at future traffic issues.

Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey

Council member Todd Holman said city staff started looking at transportation planning issues along this corridor in 2000, but the issue moved to the forefront last fall when MnDOT made restrictions along Elder Drive onto Highway 210, the site of three serious collisions, including two fatalities, since October 2008.

The city hired Wenck Associates Inc. to develop a traffic study, which was presented Monday by Wenck traffic engineer Ed Terhaar to members of the council; utilities, long-range planning, planning and zoning commissions; and future plan task force.

The firm made the following recommendations:

Move the signal lights from Knollwood Drive to Inglewood Drive. This will increase space between signalized intersections, utilize a north/south connection to County Road 77, utilize the frontage road system for access and plans for dual northbound and southbound left turn lanes. Trail connections will be needed along the frontage road and an upgraded pedestrian crossing is needed at the Highway 210/County Road 48 intersection.

Extend Fairview Road to Excelsior Road at Edgewood Drive. This results in a continuous frontage road system along Highways 371/210, allows for local travel on the local system and provides access for future development south of Excelsior Road. Signal lights may be needed in the future, coordinated with the Highway 371/Excelsior Road signal lights.

Upgrade the pedestrian crossing at Highway 210/County Road 48 in the short term future. This crossing will become more important because of the added pressure of moving the signal lights east from Knollwood to Inglewood drives. The crossing must include an extension over the railroad tracks and a trail connection to Foley Road.

The firm concluded that an Elder Drive extension from Fairview Road to Excelsior Road was not necessary, based on the land uses assumed in the study. If future land uses differ greatly from those used in this study, reassessment of this extension may be necessary, according to the report.

Terhaar said the firm met with city, MnDOT and Brainerd School District staff to get comments on the traffic study, which included traffic counts taken on the affected roadways in March during peak drive times.

Terhaar said the average number of crashes per year ranged from 7.6 at Highway 371/Excelsior Road to .03 at Excelsior Road/Inglewood Drive. The crash rate ranged from .81 crashes per million vehicles entering Highway 371/Excelsior Road to .18 crashes per million vehicles entering at Excelsior Road/Inglewood Drive.

Terhaar said the types of crashes varied but rear-end crashes tended to occur more frequently at the signalized intersections with a variety of crash types at the stop sign controlled intersections. Overall, the crash data did not indicate any significant issues at the analyzed intersections, said Terhaar. Crash data was obtained from MnDOT and Baxter Police.

Baxter resident John Sullivan questioned several items in the study, including why pedestrian traffic to Oscar Kristofferson Park wasn't considered but Baxter Elementary School was. He said portions of the school are 57 years old and school officials have in the past said a future plan may be to build a school on land next to Forestview Middle School.

Council member Jim Klein questioned why the firm went to MnDOT and the school district for comments when Baxter paid for the study. Klein also questioned Terhaar's experience in traffic studies. Terhaar said he has more than 18 years of experience in the field.

Trevor Walter, public works director, said a draft was presented to city staff, then MnDOT and the school district for their input and reminded Klein that MnDOT has a stake in Highway 210 improvements.

"Highway 210 is their highway," Walter explained. "If MnDOT is going to fight us on something, I'd want the council to know that going into this."

Holman said after the presentation that if federal money does become available for any road projects, this study will be helpful if the city applies for funding to complete any or all of these improvements.

"I think we just want to be ready," said Holman.