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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-24-18 Minutes - Transportation Coordinating CommitteeBozeman Area Transportation Coordinating Committee Minutes 10:30 am, Wednesday, January 24, 2018 City Commission Room, City Hall, 121 North Rouse Avenue A. CALL TO ORDER – Introductions & Attendance 10:34:13 AM (00:00:10) Committee Member - Jeff Krauss, City Commission: Present Committee Member - Steve White, County Commission: Present Committee Member - George Thompson, City Planning Board: Present Committee Member - Doug East, County Planning Board: Absent Committee Member - Jeff Ebert, District Engineer, Butte District - MDT: Present Committee Member - Bill Brownell, County Road Superintendent: Present Committee Member – Craig Woolard, City Public Works Director: Absent Committee Member – Andrea Surratt, City Manager: Absent Committee Member - Marty Matsen, City Community Development Director: Present Committee Chair - Christopher Scott, County Planning Dept. Representative: Present Committee Member - Ralph Zimmer, Pedestrian & Traffic Safety: Present Committee Member - Katie Potts, Proxy for Carol Strizich, Chief, Planning & Policy Analysis Bureau, MDT: Present Committee Member – Joe Walsh, Acting Engineering Services Supervisor, MDT: Present Committee Member - Dan Martin, City Citizen Representative: Present Committee Member - Sam Gianfrancisco, County Citizen Representative: Present Committee Member – Candace Mastel, Proxy for Dan Stevenson, MSU Representative: Present Committee Member - Candace Mastel, Proxy for Jason Delmue, Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board: Present Committee Member - Jeff Patten, Federal Highway Administration: Absent Committee Member - Kyle Demars, Maintenance Chief, Bozeman Division, MDT: Absent Also in attendance: Tom Foster, PTSC; Marilee Brown, Safer Bozeman; Scott Randall and Shane Forsythe, Robert Peccia & Associates; Joey Stascuk, Sanderson Stewart; Lisa Fischer and Josh Springer, HDR; Linda DuPriest, City of Bozeman/WTI; Levi Ewan, Gallatin County Road Department – Engineer; Matt Workman, John Van Delinder, City of Bozeman Street Department; Graver Johnson, City of Bozeman Fire Department; Rich McLane, City of Bozeman Police Department; Rich Hixson, City Engineer; Katherine Maines, City of Bozeman – Recording Secretary. B. PUBLIC COMMENT Limited to any public matter within the jurisdiction of the Bozeman Area Transportation Coordinating Committee not on this agenda. Please limit your comments to three minutes. 10:36:36 AM (00:02:32) Marilee Brown spoke to the group about her concerns with the lack of infrastructure being required during review of some projects in town. She shared an example of a recent incident where a semi-truck got stuck in a ditch on Nelson Road because there are no shoulders. Improvements to Nelson Road were not required when the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) office was constructed. She would like to see the City, County and MDT work together to ensure this doesn’t continue happening. C. MINUTES – October 25, 2017 10:39:45 AM (00:05:41) Ralph Zimmer asked that he be added to the October 25th attendance list. The minutes currently show that he was absent. He was also concerned about changes requested by MDT of wording related to the I-90 speed study discussion. The minutes originally read “A speed study doesn’t have to be completed.” Jeff Ebert requested that this statement be changed to say that a speed study does have to be completed. The original statement reflected what was actually said at the meeting. Ralph made a motion to amend the minutes to reflect what was actually said and to add a statement explaining that new information clarified the speed study requirements. Jeff Ebert seconded the motion. The motion pass unanimously. With the addition of Ralph’s presence at the meeting, Dan Martin made a motion to approve the minutes. Jeff Krauss seconded and the motion passed unanimously. E. SPECIAL PRESENTATION - None F. TCC COMMITTEE/MEMBER REPORTS & PROJECT UPDATES (Members of the TCC who sit on other related committees, are invited to report on such activities that are of interest to the full TCC) 1. Transit Committee 10:46:44 AM (00:12:40) Dan Martin updated the group on Streamline. As the City grows, routes need to be changed and/or added. Streamline will likely be asking for more funding from the local governing bodies and MSU. They are seeing an increase in ridership on all routes, including Bridger Bowl, Skyline, and the link runs between Bozeman and Big Sky. In response to Jeff Krauss, Dan mentioned that the Yellow/Orange route that runs down Durston to Ferguson has always been full. 2. Gallatin County (Commission, Planning Board, Road Department) 10:49:55 AM (00:15:52) Bill Brownell gave an update for the County Road Department. They are dealing with plowing and working on the transportation design standards. 3. City of Bozeman (Commission, Planning Board, Engineering Department) 10:51:04 AM (00:17:01) Rick Hixson updated the group on projects the City has planned for the upcoming construction season: Baxter Lane improvements between 7th and 19th; Baxter Lane improvements between 19th and Davis; installation of a roundabout at Durston and Ferguson; reconstruction of S. Tracy Avenue; annual street improvements project (mill/overlay); design of Cottonwood between Babcock and Durston; design of the Oak and 27th intersection; predesign of Graf and 3rd; annual concrete project(curb/gutter/ramps). Jeff Krauss asked about the Baxter/Davis and Graf/S. 3rd intersections as well as S. 11th. The Baxter/Davis intersection improvements will start as soon as the City receives the right-of-way. This is expected to happen in the near future. Graf and S. 3rd is in the predesign stage. The consultant will look at both a roundabout and a signal and bring their recommendations to the City Commission. S. 11th should be completed this summer. George Thompson mentioned that the City Planning Board is working on a growth plan that include parking issues. If anyone is interested or has expertise, please contact George. Jeff shared his concerns about the intersection of Griffin and 7th. He’s not sure when it’s scheduled but it needs to be fixed now. He also mentioned the reduction of speed south of Kagy. Finally, the City only has about $500,000 left from the park bond. He and Commission Mehl are interested in fixing incomplete sidewalk sections near the school. Steve White asked about the Ferguson and Durston intersection. A roundabout will be installed this summer. 4. Bicycle Advisory Board 10:59:31 AM (00:25:27) Candace Mastel spoke for the Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board. They are currently working on a new bike map and Linda DuPriest is working with the City to ensure that bike lanes are included when designing capital improvement projects. 5. Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee 11:01:15 AM (00:27:12) Ralph informed the group that the Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee met regarding the I- 90 speed issue and also made a recommendation to MDT. They have also been discussing the Strategic Plan that will be presented to the City Commission on Monday night. They haven’t seen the recent version but will be present at the Monday meeting to make recommendations if necessary. 6. Montana Department of Transportation 11:03:31 AM (00:29:28) Jeff Ebert listed recently completed and upcoming projects: S. 19th right turn lane at Patterson and S. 19th, Kagy to Stucky was completed last fall; Rouse, from Oak to Story Mill is in winter shutdown, approximately 80% has been completed, pavement markings will be installed from Bond to Birdie this summer; safety improvements in Bridger Canyon have been completed; signal safety upgrade in Bozeman (56 intersections) has been completed; Bozeman-Livingston ADA upgrade is in winter shutdown, involves ADA ramps, sidewalks, some drainage and landscaping; Belgrade South (Jackrabbit) is in winter shutdown but is expected to restart in early March/April; signal at Huffine and Love Lane is in the right-of-way phase with construction anticipated in 2019; Rouse between Main to Oak is in the right-of-way phase and will likely go to condemnation, utilities will be moved this summer; Baxter and Love Lane roundabout is in the right-of-way phase, construction should begin in 2019; Bozeman Westside trail crossings and the Bozeman Urban Pavement Preservation will start in May 2018; Cottonwood and Stucky roundabout will be let in April for construction this season; Belgrade slope flattening project along secondary 205 (Frontage Road) will be let in July; a traffic signal will be installed on the eastbound off-ramp on the 19th interchange to address the stacking; working with Montana Rail Link on obtaining right-of-way for the Valley Center Spur Road improvements (traffic signal), the project will be started as soon as it’s obtained. Dan Martin asked MDT to look at the ditch when completing the Huffine/Love Lane signal. Currently the turn does not accommodate buses and large trucks. His buses have gotten stuck several times. Jeff said that this project will include a full reconstruction of the intersection so the issue should be addressed. Ralph asked about the slope flattening project and whether the permanent easement has been obtained. It has not. He also asked if Jen Nelson’s position had been filled. An announcement will be made tomorrow. 7. Montana State University 11:17:12 AM (00:43:09) Candace Mastel gave the update for MSU. They will be building a new residence hall on corner of 11th & College, the current location of a parking lot. A new parking lot will then be built to the west of this location. A Transportation Demand Management workgroup is looking at solutions for parking on campus. They put out a car share request for information (RFI) but received little response. A revised RFI will be advertised soon. They will be starting a community bike share program soon. 8. Other TCC Member/Committee Reports 11:21:56 AM (00:47:52) None. G. OLD BUSINESS 11:22:02 AM (00:47:59) Consideration of I-90 Speed Limit Ralph gave an overview on the history of this issue. In September 2016, MDT completed a speed study on I-90. It was distributed to Gallatin County and the Cities of Bozeman and Belgrade. The context of the study was consideration of the 80 mph speed limit passed by the legislature. MDT’s recommendation, based on the study, was to keep the speed limit at 75 mph in the Bozeman area. The City of Bozeman & the City of Belgrade did not comment on the study. The County considered it and agreed with the recommendation. Since this study was completed, Bozeman Fire Chief Josh Waldo reached out to several different boards and entities to share his concerns and ask for support in reducing the speed limit to 65 mph. The TCC and the PTS wrote letters to MDT making a request to look at options. The PTS also wrote letters to the City of Bozeman, City of Belgrade and Gallatin County recommending they also send letters. The TCC received a response from Jeff Ebert dated January 12 stating that a speed study had already been completed and supported a 75 mph speed limit. Ralph feels that the TCC needs more information on how MDT’s decision was reached. He’d like to know if there are further options. In addition to safety concerns for emergency personnel responding to incidences on the interstate, stacking has been recognized by several groups and is still an issue. Jeff Ebert responded that, during the process of reviewing the request, he learned that MDT would not complete a new speed study without a request from a local government body. He asked the State Transportation Commission to evaluate the results of speed study and they deemed the 75 mph speed limit to be appropriate. Chris took this time to open the meeting to public comment: 11:39:34 AM (01:05:30) Marilee talked about a County Commission meeting held on October 24, 2017 where the reduced speed limit on I-90 was discussed. She was concerned that citizen advisory groups were not asked for feedback by MDT regarding the speed study that was completed in 2016. The State Transportation Commission should review the speed limit since the Belgrade Interchange was opened and she suggests that this happen without a new speed study and with public involvement. The public comment period was closed. 11:44:01 AM (01:09:58) Steve White asked for the opportunity to clarify the procedure for requests to change a speed limit on state and federal roadways. Typically, the County receives a petition from citizens to have a speed examined and the County Commission decides whether to make a formal request. If a request is made the state they perform a speed study and provide it to the County for review and comments. The Commission holds a discussion related to the study at one of their advertised meetings. They typically look at the 85th percentile. In the case of the speed limit on I- 90, the County Commission considered the recommended 75 mph speed limit and agreed with it. Chris mentioned that TCC didn’t specifically request a speed study. He asked MDT how Helena and Butte were able to obtain a reduced speed limit within their corridors since they are not MPOs. Jeff’s understanding is that those cities requested speed studies, which were performed and suggested a lower speed limit. Ralph pointed out that over the last 20 months, the question has been whether the speed limit should be increased to 80 mph or retained at 75 mph. A lower speed limit wasn’t considered. As a traffic engineer, Ralph reviewed the speed study and could justify a lower speed limit. He asked what our options are if we still wish to see the speed limit reduced. He doesn’t feel that MDT has an understanding of the existing problems with stacking. One of the three local government bodies could make a formal request to MDT to perform a speed study. Jeff Ebert confirmed that the law requires the request to come from one of the local government bodies. The local body could hire a consultant to collect speed information to present to the State Transportation Commission or they could make the request that the state and wait several years for the study to be performed. Chris thinks that the TCC shouldn’t have written the letter to MDT but should’ve instead made the request to the three local governments (Gallatin County and the Cities of Belgrade and Bozeman). Current traffic data is from 2014 before the Belgrade interchange was opened so traffic has likely increased on the interstate since that time. Jeff spoke of his support for making the interstate safer. MDT’s maintenance crews are also out on the interstate working and he would like to see safety improvement for them as well. George asked about traffic counts and the number of incidences that require emergency crew responses on the interstate. He suspects that those numbers are on the rise. Jeff Krauss spoke of the volume of work and the close relationship between the City and MDT. He wasn’t sure that the City could prioritize this issue with other joint projects currently in progress. H. NEW BUSINESS 12:10:46 PM (01:36:42) Election of Officers Steve made a motion, which Jeff Krauss seconded, to re-elect Chris Scott as president. Steve made a motion, which Dan Martin seconded, to make Jeff Krauss vice-chair. Jeff Ebert made a motion, which Dan Martin seconded, to elect Katherine Maines as recording secretary. H. UPCOMING MEETING DATES AND ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 12:13. July 25, 2018 – REGULAR MEETING October 24, 2018 – REGULAR MEETING January 23, 2019 – REGULAR MEETING April 24, 2019 – REGULAR MEETING For more information please contact Katherine Maines at 406-582-2273 Committee meetings are open to all members of the public. If you have a disability and require assistance, please contact our ADA coordinator, Mike Gray at 582-3232 (TDD 582-2301).