DEPARTMENT: Transportation
FILE TYPE: Regular Information
TITLE
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Overview And Update On County Project 66-15 Needs And Alternatives For Trunk Highway 52 Interchange At County Roads 62 Or 66 In Vermillion Township
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Receive an update and information on planning and alternatives for a new interchange with Trunk Highway (TH) 52 at or near the intersections with County Road (CR) 62 or CR 66 in Vermillion Township.
SUMMARY
To promote a safe and efficient transportation system, staff proceeded with work on County Project 66-15 under Contract No. C0033927, authorized by Resolution No. 21-191 (April 6, 2021). The contract includes studies to evaluate needs and alternatives for transportation infrastructure to improve safety and mobility around TH 52 at or near the intersections with CR 62 or CR 66. The work completed to date includes traffic studies to document the need for a project and to review a wide range of alternatives. Dakota County is the lead agency, and County Staff and our consultants have worked regularly with many stakeholders, including Vermillion Township, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MnDNR), other agencies, and several property owners. The discussions and evaluations of project needs and alternatives have also included two public open-house meetings held on September 28, 2021, and on July 27, 2022.
Throughout the planning process, staff has presented the complexity of the study area within the context of balancing transportation safety/mobility objectives with the area's valued natural resources and community features. These resources and planning factors include:
* The Vermillion River, including MnDNR-managed Aquatic Management Areas
* Unique small-acreage specialty crop farms near the junction of TH 52 and CR 66
* The area's many other farmlands, residential/neighborhood sites, and other natural resource or community features
The needs that jus...
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