Consider Recommendations to City Council for Flashing Yellow Arrow Improvements at Sunwood Drive and Ramsey Boulevard Intersection

Purpose:
The purpose of this case is to consider a recommendation to City Council for Flashing Yellow Arrow improvements to the existing signal system at the intersection of Sunwood Drive and Ramsey Boulevard/CSAH 56.
 
Background:
Flashing Yellow Area Historical Information
In December 2009, after extensive testing, the Federal Highway Administration authorized use of flashing yellow arrows nationwide. A study conducted by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program determined that drivers had fewer crashes with flashing yellow left-turn arrows than with traditional yield-on-green signal configurations. 
 
Flashing yellow arrow traffic signals feature a flashing yellow arrow in addition to the standard red, yellow and green arrows. When illuminated, the flashing yellow arrow allows waiting motorists to make a left-hand turn after yielding to all oncoming traffic and to any pedestrians in the crosswalk. Oncoming traffic has a green light. Drivers must wait for a safe gap in oncoming traffic before turning. When not illuminated, signals with flashing yellow arrows work the same as traditional signals.
 
Flashing yellow arrows offer more opportunities to make a left turn than with the traditional three-arrow, red, yellow and green indications. They also provide traffic engineers with more options to handle variable traffic volumes. A flashing yellow arrow signal has the same meaning it always has: left turns may proceed with caution after yielding to oncoming traffic. In the past, flashing yellow arrows in Minnesota were only used when the entire traffic signal was in flash-mode. Use of the flashing yellow arrow has been shown to have several benefits including minimizing delays and enhancing safety by reducing driver errors.
 
The majority of newly installed traffic signals are constructed to allow flashing yellow arrow operations, though sometimes the flashing yellow arrow heads are not immediately installed. The flashing yellow arrow may be used at any intersection at any time but the most typical use will be at intersections and times-of-day that have lower volumes, lower speeds and other favorable conditions. Retrofitting existing signals to include flashing yellow arrows can be costly and are typically only done on a limited basis, when necessary.
 
Attached is two-page brochure produced by the Minnesota Department of Transportation with additional information on flashing yellow arrows. 
 
2022 Proposed Anoka County Flashing Yellow Arrow (FYA) Upgrades
Anoka County typically budgets up to $200,000 each year to add flashing yellow arrow operations to their 200+ existing signal systems across the County, most of which were not constructed to accommodate FYA operations since they were constructed before FYA operations existed.
 
In 2022, Anoka County proposes to construct FYA improvements to their signal systems at 14 intersections in the City of Coon Rapids as follows;

• CSAH 52/109th
• CSAH 52/Quail Creek
• CSAH 78/113th
• CSAH 18/131st
• CSAH 18/133rd
• CSAH 116/Rose St.
• CSAH 116/Heather St.
• CSAH 116/CR 18
• CSAH 116/Jay St.
• CSAH 51/91st
• CSAH 51/101st
• CSAH 51/Egret Blvd.
• CSAH 51/105th
• CSAH 51/109th

 
Anoka County is employing SEH, Inc. to prepare feasibility studies to evaluate the use of FYA operations at each of these intersections, including estimating costs to modify each signal system to include FYA operations, and to prepare plans and specifications for constructing the required FYA improvements. Anoka County expects to receive final studies for each intersection in early 2022 to allow construction to occur in the summer/fall of 2022.
 
Anoka County is not proposing to complete FYA improvements to any signal systems in the City of Ramsey in 2022. No FYA improvements are proposed at the intersections of Alpine Drive & Sunfish Lake Boulevard/CSAH 57, Alpine Drive & Nowthen Boulevard/CSAH 5, or Sunwood Drive & Ramsey Boulevard/CSAH 56, which have been discussed on several occasions.
 
FYA Operations at Sunwood Drive & Ramsey Boulevard/CSAH 56
During the regular City Council meeting on September 22, 2020, the City Council received a request from Ramsey resident and Planning Commission Chair Randy Bauer to install FYA’s at the intersection of Sunwood Drive & Ramsey Boulevard/CSAH 56. Mr. Bauer stated that he frequently waits at this signal system to turn left when no vehicles are approaching from the other direction.
 
Pursuant to attached Ramsey City Council Resolution #21-302, adopted October 26, 2021, Staff hired SEH, Inc. to study the feasibility for installing FYA improvements at Sunwood Drive & Ramsey Boulevard/CSAH 56.
 
Attached is a copy of the final SEH study.  In summary, SEH’s study notes the following findings;

• The City should be able to consider using Flashing Yellow Arrow operations at this intersection during several hours of a typical day. However, due to higher posted speeds and higher peak hour traffic volumes on CSAH 56, along with higher peak left turning traffic volumes on Sunwood Drive, SEH has concerns about operating with flashing yellow arrow operations on each roadway during these peak traffic periods.
• For the Sunwood Drive approaches, SEH recommends considering protected only left turn phasing be used both weekdays and weekends between the hours of 3:30 - 5:30 pm. For all other hours of the day and all hours on weekends, protected/ permissive flashing yellow arrow operations should be able to be utilized.
• For the CSAH 56 approaches, SEH recommends considering protected only left turn phasing be used on both weekdays and weekends between the hours of 6:30 am - 8:30 am, and also between 3:30 - 5:30 pm. For all other hours of a typical weekday and weekend, flashing yellow arrow operations should be able to be utilized on CSAH 56.
• To allow for flashing yellow arrow operation on each intersection approach, we estimate that these modifications (completed by an electrical signal contractor) will cost approximately $94,000. A detailed preliminary engineer’s estimate of costs is attached to the study. 

Staff anticipates 15 minutes will be needed to present this case and respond to questions.  

Observations:
If Staff is directed by the City Council to pursue FYA improvements at the intersection of Sunwood Drive & Ramsey Boulevard/CSAH 56, Staff will need to work with Anoka County to prepare plans and specifications to allow this work to be added to Anoka County’s 2022 FYA improvement projects. The first step in this process would be to request a proposal from SEH, Inc. for preparing plans and specifications.  
 
Staff previously questioned whether traffic volumes and patterns will change significantly enough after grade separation improvements occur on CSAH 56/Ramsey Boulevard at the BNSF Railway and US Highway 10 to cause FYA improvements to no longer be warranted.  Staff recently asked the Anoka County Traffic Engineer this question and was informed that she did not think the County would request FYA improvements to be removed, and that at most the hours of operation may need to be adjusted. 
 
Alternatives:
Alternative #1 – Motion recommending City Council approval to request a proposal from SEH, Inc. to prepare plans and specifications for Flashing Yellow Arrow improvements to the signal system at the intersection of Sunwood Drive and Ramsey Boulevard/CSAH 56.
 
Alternative #2 – Motion recommending City Council denial to request a proposal from SEH, Inc. to prepare plans and specifications for Flashing Yellow Arrow improvements to the signal system at the intersection of Sunwood Drive and Ramsey Boulevard/CSAH 56.
 
Alternative #3 – Motion of other.    

Dependent on discussions.  

Staff does not have a specific recommendation to offer at this time. 

Dependent on discussions.