Consider Recommending City Council Authorization to Prepare Plans and Specifications for Flashing Yellow Arrow Improvements to Signal System at Armstrong Boulevard & Sunwood Drive

Purpose:
The purpose of this case is to review the findings of the attached flashing yellow arrow analysis recently completed by SEH, Inc. and request a recommendation for the City Council to authorize Staff to hire SEH, Inc. to prepare plans and specifications for converting the City-owned signal system at the intersection of Armstrong Boulevard/CSAH 83 & Sunwood Drive/147th Avenue to flashing yellow arrow operations.  See Figure 1 (attached) for signal system location.

Background:
Flashing yellow arrows (FYA’s) are gaining momentum as an alternative to a simple green ball light for left-turning motorists. They signal to the motorist that it is safe to turn left so long as they yield to oncoming vehicles, which have the right of way. These permitted left turns are unlike protected left turns, where the left-turning motorist does not need to consider opposing traffic because those vehicles have a red light.  As recently discussed, the Anoka County Highway Department will construct FYA modifications to signal systems at eight different intersections across Anoka County in 2017. Three of the signal systems are located within the City of Ramsey along Bunker Lake Boulevard/CSAH 116 where it intersects with Dysprosium Street/Thurston Avenue, Sunfish Lake Boulevard/CSAH 57, and Ramsey Boulevard/CSAH 56.  The FYA’s will be operational during different times of the day at different intersections.
 
Anoka County annually budgets approximately $100,000 to convert 4 to 10 of their 200 signal systems to FYA operations each year.  Typical costs to convert signal systems to incorporate FYA’s run between $0 and $28,500 per signal system, with higher end costs being $50,000 or more.
 
Anoka County solely utilizes SEH, Inc. to study their signal systems for FYA conversions, and requested that the City also utilize SEH to study the intersection of Armstrong Boulevard/CSAH 83 & Sunwood Drive/147th Avenue for potential FYA modifications if the City was interested in doing so.  This helps ensure that the evaluations are performed consistently County-wide for safety and liability purposes.
 
In November of 2016, the Public Works Committee authorized City staff to employ SEH to analyze the signal system at Armstrong Boulevard/CSAH 83 & Sunwood Drive/147th Avenue for potential FYA improvements.  This analysis was recently completed and a copy of the report is attached. In summary, SEH’s analysis shows that FYA’s should be able to be considered for nearly all times of a typical weekday, as well as the entire weekend, but initially they recommend that FYA operations not be used between 6 and 9 am and between 3 and 7 pm on weekdays due to higher posted speeds and higher traffic volumes.  However, in the future this can be reviewed and these operations may be able to be expanded to additional hours if there are no safety issues or significant increases in traffic volumes.
 
SEH currently estimates costs to convert the signal system at Armstrong Boulevard/CSAH 83 & Sunwood Drive/147th Avenue to FYA operations at $40,000.  This cost will be further refined upon preparation of plans and specifications. This cost seemed high to Staff since it is a newer signal system, but according to SEH the current guidelines for FYA installations are specific on what needs to be included in the design, and these specifics were not fully in-place when this signal was initially designed and constructed.  Typically, costs to convert systems such as this one are averaging between $20,000 and $50,000.

Approximately 5 minutes for presentation and discussion.

Observations:
Plans and specifications will be required to allow the City to advertise for bids for construction of FYA modifications.  Anoka County plans to complete FYA conversion improvements to the signal system at Armstrong Boulevard/CSAH 83 & Bunker Lake Boulevard in the late fall/early winter of 2017 and/or in early 2018.  Preparing plans and specifications now for the FYA signal system modifications at Armstrong Boulevard/CSAH 83 & Sunwood Drive/147th Avenue, the City would be well positioned to coordinate the timing of our bids and construction with Anoka County’s FYA improvements at Bunker Lake Boulevard, thereby allowing proper coordination of modifications to both signal systems, and to coordinate the implementation of the FYA’s at both intersections to ensure consistency.

Alternatives:
Alternative #1 – Motion recommending City Council authorization to hire SEH, Inc. to prepare plans and specifications for converting the City-owned signal system at the intersection of Armstrong Boulevard/CSAH 83 & Sunwood Drive/147th Avenue to flashing yellow arrow operations.

Alternative #2 – Motion of other.

The cost for SEH to study FYA modifications for the City-owned signal system at Armstrong Boulevard & Sunwood Drive/147th Avenue was estimated at $2,400.  The final invoice for this work has not yet been received. These funds will be drawn from the Public Improvement Revolving fund.
 
SEH estimates their costs to prepare plans and specifications for the FYA conversion improvements at $6,500. These funds would also be drawn from the Public Improvement Revolving fund.

Staff recommends alternative #1.

Recommend City Council authorization to hire SEH, Inc. to prepare plans and specifications for converting the City-owned signal system at the intersection of Armstrong Boulevard/CSAH 83 & Sunwood Drive/147th Avenue to flashing yellow arrow operations.