Barton Aschman Associates, Inc.

The Third Avenue North Distributor is being designed as a high capacity connection between I-394 west of Minneapolis and the downtown Minneapolis street system. It is the eastern most mile of I-394, and it will be constructed on the northern fringe of the CBD. As part of the transportation system management plan for downtown Minneapolis, three parking garages are being proposed to be constructed adjacent to, or in the air-rights of, this roadway. The garages were proposed in 1969, and in 1974, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) asked to have a financial feasibility study conducted along with a study to determine the impact these parking garages will have on the regional transit system. This report is the results of these studies, and includes an examination of alternative locations for the garages

The Minnesota Department of Transportation directed Barton-Aschman Associates, lac. to perform a variety of traffic planning and traffic engineering tasks with regard to the Highway 8 corridor through Chisago County, from the border with Washington County, Minnesota, to the border with Polk County in Wisconsin. The issues examined by this study have been determined by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Highway 8 Task Force. Social, economic, and environmental issues are recognized, but the emphasis is on transportation issues. Social, economic, and environmental issues will be examined fully in other studies as transportation projects in the Highway 8 corridor are planned and designed. The Highway 8 Task Force has indicated that it is concerned with issues of safety, congestion, impacts to private property, pedestrian and bicycle circulation, economic impacts, and construction costs. The objective of the study is to establish, and implement in a timely and economical manner, a series of recommendations which improve the safety of the transportation system, reduce congestion, improve pedestrian and bicycle circulation, maintain or enhance property values, and preserve or expand the economic vitality of the communities through which Highway 8 passes.

The report is divided into two parts. Part A presents the overall results of each study phase. It begins with a description of rail/community conflicts encountered throughout the study corridor. (See Chapter I.) Problems associated with the conflicts and the contributing factors are identified. The findings from the corridor perspective are based on an extensive survey of corridor communities, involving a mail survey of residents, interviews with community and railroad officials, public hearings, and field observations. Chapter II presents the overall results of the case studies. A set of six community case studies was conducted to develop a better understanding of rail/community conflicts and to identify and test potential low—cost solutions. The communities are representative of corridor communities in general with respect to characteristics, rail/community problems, problem causes, and potentially effective low-cost solutions. The nature, magnitude, and causes of problems experienced in each community are described in Chapter II. This discussion is followed by the definition and evaluation of the demonstration projects implemented in each community to reduce priority problems. The applicability of the demonstration projects in other communities also is presented. Part B of the report consists of the detailed case studies One chapter is devoted to each case study community. Community characteristics and problems are detailed. Problem definitions include causes and estimated magnitudes. The demonstration projects are identified. Evaluation of the projects includes observed changes in problem magnitudes attributable to the projects and residents opinions of the projects effects.

The study objective was to identify and evaluate low-cost solutions to problems associated with railroad/community conflicts occurring along the study corridor. To accomplish this objective, a three-phase work program was conducted: • In Phase I, a corridor-wide survey of rail/community conflicts was made. Problems were identified by community and a preliminary list of low-cost actions deemed to be potential solutions was developed. • In Phase II, an in-depth analysis of problems in six representative corridor communities was conducted. Alternative low-cost actions to resolve the problems were identified and analyzed. Phase II culminated with selection of remedial actions to be implemented in each case study community as demonstration projects. Funding sources for the project also were investigated. • In Phase III, the demonstration projects were Implemented and evaluated. The purpose of this phase was to establish the actual effectiveness of the projects in resolving problems and to determine the projects' applicability to other corridor communities. This report summarizes the findings of the study. Separate reports documenting the results of Phases I and II are available.

The study objective is to find low-cost solutions to the impacts of railroad/community conflicts occurring along the study corridor. To accomplish this objective, a three-phase work program is being conducted: • In Phase I, a corridor-wide survey of rail/community conflicts was made. Problems were identified by community and a preliminary list of low-cost actions deemed to be potential solutions was developed. • In Phase II, an in-depth analysis of problems in six representative corridor communities was conducted. Alternative low-cost actions to resolve the problems were identified and analyzed. Phase II culminated with selection of remedial actions to be implemented in each case study community as demonstration projects. • In Phase III, the demonstration projects will be implemented and evaluated. The purpose of this phase is to establish the actual effectiveness of the projects in resolving problems and to determine the projects' applicability to other corridor communities. This report summarizes the findings of Phase II.

This report presents the results of the first phase of a study to identify community problems arising from conflicts between railroad operations and community activities, and to identify and evaluate possible solutions to these conflicts. The study was initiated as a result of (1) the formation and activities of the Rail Traffic Task Force, a voluntary group of Minnesota and North Dakota communities organized to Identify and resolve railroad/community activity conflicts, and (2) the increasing significance of the coal train impact issue nationally. The study area is shown in Exhibit 1. It is the Burlington , Northern Railroad mainline corridor from Beach, North Dakota to Fargo/ Moorhead and from there to Staples, Minnesota, and then branching to the vicinity of Minneapolis and Duluth/Superior.