By John McLoone

The Hastings City Council last Monday night approved a resolution adopting a study conducted by Dakota County “to develop a future vision for the segment of CSAH 46 between the Vermillion River crossing west of General Sieben Drive to TY 61,” a memo to the City Council from Public Works Director/City Engineer Ryan Stempski states.

The council voted to study the highway with Dakota County in 2020. It will also provide a letter in support of federal funding for the project.

“Safety, mobility and access issues were evaluated as part of the study,” said Stempski. The City Council met with county leaders at a workshop in early March to see prospective improvement plans.

Key features of the improvement project, Stempski’s memo states, include:

• A two-lane divided roadway with right and left turn lanes at select intersections

• Raised center median in conjunction with access management

• Road width narrowed from Pine Street to TH 61 to minimize impacts to the Vermillion River and adjacent private property

• Single-lane roundabout is recommended at Pleasant Drive and at Pine Street to encourage speed reduction, safe crossing of bikes and peds, efficient access, address left-turn crashes, and allow U-Turn movements for vehicles that do not have left turn access onto CSAH 46

• Limit access along the corridor to comply with Dakota County’s access spacing guidelines to provide a transportation system that minimizes the potential for safety issues while maximizing system efficiency

• A trail(s) for bike and ped connectivity is recommended on one or both sides of the roadway based on constraints • Replace and widen the bridge over the Vermillion River (between 31st Street and Pine Street) The project could start as early as 2024 if outside funding can be secured from the Met Council’s Regional Solicitation, which oversees federal funding. The recommended project cost is $15,335,000, with Dakota County’s share at $13,039,850 and the city share at $2,295,150. However, the Regional Solicitation is projected at $7 million, which reduces the city and county share significantly.

The city’s share of the project study was put at $80,000.

The Dakota County project overview states, “This corridor provides an eastwest connection between Interstate 35 in Lakeville and Highway 61 in Hastings. County Road 46 is also important to the City of Hastings. It provides an additional east-west connection, access to the Vermillion River and nearby parks and the businesses on Highway 61.

As development continues, the county and city anticipate County Road 46 to continue to serve as an “eastwest corridor, and traffic volumes will likely continue to increase. The corridor study will help develop a vision for this segment of County Road 46 that will balance the needs of all users.”

At the workshop between Dakota County and the City Council, there was discussion on proposed roundabouts, as well as access roads and speed and sound control worked into the project.

On the roundabout issue, presented at one open house was the following: “As part of the study, the project team reviewed the existing intersection control and how it would function in current and future conditions. Based on this review, a single-lane roundabout at Pleasant Drive and Pine Street is being considered as an option in the mid- and long-term concepts. A roundabout provides non-motorized facilities and crossings, improves gaps in traffic for vehicles entering and exiting County Road 46, provides a physical cue for drivers to slow down, and reduces the potential for certain types of crashes (i.e. right angle).

“On Segment 3 – Vermillion River Bridge to Highway 61, the roadway is constrained by the Vermillion River on the south side and existing homes and apartment buildings along the north side. In effort to reduce impacts to adjacent properties, a roundabout option at Pine Street would need to be smaller than a standard roundabout.”

In other business: Apartment parking resolution The council approved an ordinance change that drops the parking requirement for apartments to 1.75 spots per unit, down from the two spots which have been required for all housing types.

“The current standard works well for single and duplex housing units but does not refect the reduced need for parking for apartments (residential buildings of three or more units),” a memo to the City Council from Community Development Director John Hinzman states.

The recommendation of the ordinance change to the city council from its Planning Commission was unanimous.

Security study

The council approved a study to test its systems against cyber attacks.

“The 2022 budget includes approval for a cyber security assessment that would include penetration testing to review security practices and determine where we have security flaws on our network,” a memory from Information Technology Manager Dave Hokstad sates.

The city will contract with 7 Minute Security of Shakopee. The funds for the study were included in the 2022 budget.

Parklets

The city approved parklet renewal applications from the following downtown business that will be able to serve food and liquor outside in front of their establishments, as has been done the last two summers: Fireside Social House, El Mexican Restaurant of Hastings, The Busted Nut, The Onion Grille, and Spiral Brewery.