Road reconstruction project near Jordan High School gets $1.5 million grant
(Jordan, MN) – JORDAN INDEPENDENT – The City of Jordan and Jordan Public Schools will receive $1.5 million in funds to go towards major road reconfiguration that will improve traffic flow and safety near Jordan High School.
In a press release on April 2, both the city and school district announced the entities were selected to receive Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) funds for the Sunset Drive Improvements Project.
The funds, appropriated by the state Legislature in 2023, will cover a majority of the $2.1 million project that will transform the area north of the high school, which is anticipated to see 22% growth in school enrollment by 2040 coupled with further regional development.
The project, approved in April last year, includes the construction of two compact roundabouts at the intersection of Sunset Drive and Hillside Drive and at the entry point to the elementary school and CERC parking lots.
The basis for the improvements stem from a 2019 traffic study done by Bolton & Menk Inc. out of Burnsville.
The study was performed to identify existing traffic challenges and to develop possible solutions that improve safety, maintain access and provide acceptable mobility for future expansion and development of the school property and adjacent land, according to a 2023 memo to the City of Jordan.
While the intersection of Sunset Drive and Hillside Drive was under the statewide average for observed crash rates, its all-way stop controlled intersection was found to be unwarranted when considering traffic volume, according to the memo.
During a 15-minute period leading into the afternoon peak hours, roughly 30% of drivers were seen rolling through the intersection, posing a safety risk to traffic and specifically pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the intersection, the memo said.
Further, the intersection of Sunset Drive and Timber Ridge Court is known to have safety concerns, according to the memo, with a serious pedestrian crash near the intersection in September, 2023.
The study found dual compact roundabouts to have more benefits than a combination of a mini roundabout and an all-way stop controlled intersection, as well as other alternatives evaluated, the memo said.
A proposal for two single-lane compact roundabouts, 90 feet across, would be anticipated to operate acceptably through 2040, according to the memo, and would reduce the number of conflict points at each intersection from at least 32 to 8.
Roundabouts would also produce smaller lines of cars during peak hours than an all-way stop controlled intersection, which would extend vehicles further back into the high school and cause high delays, according to the memo.
Additionally, single-lane roundabouts have similar crash rates compared to all-way stop controlled intersections, but have roughly 45% fewer fatal and serious injury crashes, according to data published by MnDOT’s Office of Traffic Engineering.
Pedestrian safety is also improved as the median offers pedestrians to cross only one lane in one direction at a time, the memo continued, all while speeds within and around roundabouts are reduced.
Compact roundabouts are often designed with 15 mph speed limits, which offers 24/7 speed reduction and traffic calming creating a safer street near a school, the memo said.
While the LRIP funds will cover a majority of the project, the city and school district will pay for the remaining costs through an assessment agreement. The school will pay roughly $563,000 and the city will pay just under $102,000.
The project is set to start in the summer of 2025, with a goal to be completed in time for school later that fall.
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