Engineers suggest changes in roundabout way
Trending
Minot city staff will be pursuing a grant to convert a Minot intersection into a mini-roundabout, with the support of the Minot City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The City of Minot Engineering Department is proposing the change at Eighth Street Northwest and University Avenue following a traffic study of the intersection, where a wood pole spanwire signal system currently is in place. According to information provided to the council, the intersection is the only wood pole span wire traffic signal in the city, originally installed as part of a detour route on a North Broadway reconstruction project in 2007-2008. These systems are meant to be temporary.
The system at Eighth Street and University is in good condition, despite having exceeded its intended service life. A mini-roundabout is a preferred long-term solution because it provides appropriate intersection control while improving safety and reducing vehicle speeds, Traffic Engineer Stephen Joerz said in a memo to the council.
Council member Stephan Podrygula questioned how a roundabout would work with the number of small children in preschool and child care in the area. City Engineer Lance Meyer responded that roundabout islands serve as refuges for pedestrians, creating safer crossings.
The council authorized staff to apply for state or federal grants for a mini-roundabout. The Engineering Department reported a grant is not guaranteed and, if obtained, likely would not be in hand until 2030 at the earliest. Construction of a mini-roundabout is estimated at $620,000-$660,000.
Replacement with another signal system isn't warranted at that intersection, but an option presented by the Engineering Department was an all-way stop, which would require roadway revisions and was estimated to cost $360,000-$400,000.
In other business, the council approved acceptance of a federal grant to purchase a second refurbished transit bus. The grant would reimburse up to $467,500, or 85%, of the purchase, with a local match of $82,500.
The council also accepted a Homeland Security Grant Program award of $124,945, which will go to the Minot Area Bomb Squad/SWAT to procure X-ray equipment and optics/thermal imaging and fund training at the FBI's Hazardous Device School and National Tactical Officers Association.
Additionally, the council approved a joint powers agreement with Minot Park District, a step toward collecting a half percent sales tax approved by voters for parks in June.
The council moved to direct the mayor to appoint two members to a temporary committee with the City of Burlington, which also will appoint two members, to bring recommendations for a realignment of the extraterritorial boundary in the area of the Dakota Boys & Girls Ranch. The campus sits in both Minot and Burlington's extraterritorial jurisdiction. A realignment would bring the ranch into a single extraterritorial zone.