DEPARTMENT: Transportation
FILE TYPE: Regular Information
TITLE
title
Information On Top Ten Ranked Safety Critical County Intersections And Corresponding Mitigations - 2023-2025 Review
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Provide an update to County Leadership regarding review of the County’s highest-ranked intersections in relation to crashes as well as provide information on corresponding mitigations and studies.
SUMMARY
Every year, Dakota County Traffic staff reviews and logs crashes that occurred on the County transportation system from the prior year in a process called the Intersection Crash Listing (ICL). A Crash Rate Index (CRI) is determined for each intersection by combining crash data from three years prior and calculated by weighting the three-year crashes against traffic volumes and crash comparisons to similar intersections across the state. CRI is an adequate indication of whether an intersection has statistically significant safety concerns.
County staff ranks all intersections by their CRI to help determine where safety improvements can be made or to evaluate what may be causing the crashes. Below are the 2023-2025 highest-ranked CRI intersections on the County network and the corresponding mitigations and evaluations, both planned and in process. Since the ICL utilizes the past three years of crash data, sometimes there are occurrences where an ICL ranking exists after the mitigation has taken place.
ICL Ranking Based on CRI
|
Intersection |
Mitigation/Evaluation |
|
County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 50 and CSAH 60 |
Striping Updates and Evaluation (2025) |
|
CSAH 33 and December Trail |
Control Evaluation (2025) |
|
CSAH 62 and CSAH 85 |
Mumble Strips Installed (2025) and Further Improvements (2026) |
|
CSAH 46 and Trunk Highway (TH) 52 E Ramp |
Temp Signal (2026) and Roundabout Installation (2029) |
|
TH 3 and CSAH 78 |
Potential Mumble Strip (2026) and Roundabout Installation (Minnesota Department of Transportation led) (2029 or earlier) |
|
CSAH 9 and 190th |
Three-Quarter Intersection (2029) |
|
CSAH 8 and Livingston Avenue |
Three-Quarter Intersection (2029) |
|
CSAH 42 and Biscayne Avenue |
Median Closure (2025) and Signal Installation (2027) |
|
CSAH 73 and 55th/Cenex |
Signage Improvements and Speed Evaluation (2026) |
|
CSAH 42 and TH 52 W Ramp |
Signal Installation (2026) |
The County also conducts an ICL for high-severity crashes. These count fatal and serious injury crashes in an attempt to illustrate where the most dangerous intersections are as opposed to where the most crashes are occurring. As such, many of these tend to be in high-speed rural areas and may involve more run-off roads or crashes involving deer.
The below intersections denote the ten highest-ranked intersections when weighted with crash severity and their corresponding mitigations and evaluations.
ICL Ranking Based on Severity
|
Intersection |
Mitigation/Evaluation |
|
CSAH 62 and CSAH 85 |
Mumble Strips Installed (2025) and Further Improvements (2026) |
|
TH 3 and CSAH 78 |
Potential Mumble Strip (2026) and Roundabout Installation (Minnesota Department of Transportation led) (2029 or earlier) |
|
CSAH 46 and CSAH 85 |
Roundabout Installed (2024) |
|
CSAH 86 and TH 52 W Ramp |
Evaluation (2026) |
|
CSAH 47 and CSAH 86 |
Mumble Strip Install (2026) and Intersection Improvements (2027) |
|
CSAH 9 and CSAH 70 |
Signal Timing Updates (2026) |
|
CSAH 47 and CR 78 |
Mumble Strip Installation (2026) and Intersection Improvements (2027) |
|
CSAH 86 and TH 56 |
Roundabout Installation (2026) |
|
CSAH 33 and December Trail |
Control Evaluation (2025/2026) |
|
CSAH 8 and 15th Ave |
Signage/Sight Line Clearing (2024) and Potential Bumpouts (2028) |
Dakota County Traffic staff continues to monitor these safety issues, evaluates worthwhile improvements, and determines all potential causes that may relate to these locations. In addition, intersections that do not make the top ten but experience metrics that suggest a safety issue or a sharp increase in crashes still receive mitigation and evaluation. While the ICL mitigation process is reactive to historical crash data, Dakota County proactively utilizes safe design and operation principles in engineering processes to minimize crashes in the future
RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Information only; no action requested.
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EXPLANATION OF FISCAL/FTE IMPACTS
☒ None ☐ Current budget ☐ Other
☐ Amendment Requested ☐ New FTE(s) requested
RESOLUTION
body
Information only; no action requested.
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PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION
None.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment: Crash Locations by Top Ranked CRI and Severity
Attachment: Presentation Slides
BOARD GOALS
☐ Thriving People ☐ A Healthy Environment with Quality Natural Resources
☐ A Successful Place for Business and Jobs ☒ Excellence in Public Service
CONTACT
Department Head: Erin Laberee
Author: Tyler Krage