TH 169 Sand Creek Township Corridor Study (2019)

Project Details

• Construction Year: To Be Determined
• Community: Scott County, Sand Creek, Jackson and Louisville Townships
• Corridor Served: US 169
• Project Lead: Sand Creek Township
• Partners: MnDOT, Scott County, Jackson and Louisville Townships

Description

Scott County recently partnered with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), Jackson Township, and Louisville Township, to install a full interchange and frontage road system to remove direct access to US 169 at TH 41, CSAH 78, and CSAH 14. This project will be completed in 2020, effectively extending the freeway-type facility from Brooklyn Park, MN to CSAH 14. TH 169 through Sand Creek Township is the next closest segment of highway containing at-grade accesses, many with minimal or no acceleration, deceleration or dedicated turn-lanes. These uncontrolled access points are increasingly presenting safety and mobility concerns. With the continually increasing traffic flow on US 169 and the removal of the stop condition at TH 41, the opportunities for safe and efficient access at these nearby intersections are diminishing.  

Sand Creek Township studied the feasibility of access improvements to enhance safety, mobility and to accommodate future developments south of the Louisville Township line and north of Jordan.

Purpose & Justification

The purpose of this study was to gather information, define issues, and discuss improvement strategies for US 169 within Sand Creek Township. Improvement options include safety, mobility, freight, accessibility, connectivity, public input, and environmental considerations. Geometric alternatives were be developed to address project needs and be the basis for preliminary cost comparisons. The goals of this project included:

• Encourage stakeholder participation through an inclusive process;
• Sustain the long-term goals of MnDOT, Scott County and Sand Creek Township;
• Develop alternatives targeted to demonstrated needs;
• Improve accessibility and connectivity;
• Communicate with local, state, and regional agencies;
• Identify probable next steps ; and
• Provide a basis for further discussions with stakeholders, agencies and the pursuit of project funding as applicable.

This project was funded in part by the Scott County Transportation Sales Tax.