Broadway corridor study takes virtual public input

MINOT, N.D. – “But we still need to understand what some of those concerns are so we can find other mitigation strategies to help with congestion or safety issues,” he said. “The primary goal of this study, or one of them, is to study the segment from 20th Avenue all the way south because that is the next phase of Broadway that is due for reconstruction. There’s several issues along that section of the corridor that need to be addressed and we need to come up with what those improvements need to be, how do we fund them and how do we program them with the Department of Transportation to have those improvements built at some point.”

To date, KLJ Engineering has worked with the city and North Dakota Department of Transportation to review existing traffic conditions and make projections for the future.

Broadway largely has been well maintained, but the study found some areas of poor pavement conditions, especially around the U.S. 2 interchange. There also are narrow rights of way and right-of-way encroachments that could limit potential improvements.

Some issues identified in the study include delays for side street traffic trying to access Broadway at uncontrolled intersections; motorist frustration with too many signaled intersections in some areas; narrow sidewalks, including some in poor condition or with obstructions; lack of dedicated bicycle paths; and infrequent transit service.

The study report found nearly 1,200 vehicle crashes in the past five years in the corridor. Additionally, Broadway sees two pedestrian and one bike crash every year on average. There was a pedestrian fatality this year.

Multiple segments and intersections have crash rates higher than what is considered critical, defined as the typical crash rate for similar intersections. For instance, the 33rd Avenue South intersection has a crash rate three times higher than the critical rate. The stretch of Broadway from Burdick to 20th Avenue South has a crash rate more than twice the critical rate, due in part to a high number of access points.

Broadway has nearly 150 access points along its six-mile corridor, and 80% of them are in the one mile between 11th and 20th Avenues South. The report states the 20th Avenue intersection ranks 39th in the state in the number of crashes. Intersections at 31st and 37th Avenues South and the U.S. 2 interchange also are expected to become deficient in the future due to traffic congestion.

In Broadway’s mid-section, seven lights in a one-mile stretch from Burdick to 11th Avenue Northwest increase travel times in that segment by 40-50%.

North of 11th Avenue Northwest, at Minot State University, crashes are above the critical rate, mostly due to speeding encouraged by the roadway design, according to the report. A particular problem spot is the intersection with the U.S. Highway 83 Bypass, where motorists struggle to stop at the signal because of speed.

Once public input closes Nov. 15, engineers will begin developing proposed fixes for problem areas. A second public meeting will be held this winter to unveil those possible fixes. Based on that input, an implementation plan for improvements and a timeline will be developed and presented to the city council and public next spring.

Whether those public meetings also will be virtual is unknown at this time, but it may depend in part on the type of response the study committee sees in the current comment round.

“In my opinion, this is probably something that we’re going to see a lot of in the future, not just because of the pandemic but because of the technology tools that are available to us,” Meyer said. “It’s not always convenient for people to come to a public meeting. The traditional forms of mail, email response or a phone call to the people on the study committee is still welcomed. It’s still an option. It carries the exact same amount of weight as someone that submits a comment here online. But we think that this is a good format for people to use to submit that comment.”

Broadway corridor study takes virtual public input

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Broadway corridor study takes virtual public input

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