About this project

The study will take place through April 2013 and will include the following key elements:

• Stakeholder and public involvement
• Review of existing studies and plans relevant to the transportation needs of Highway 13
• Traffic analysis given the recent transportation investments (two interchanges, recent access management efforts)
• Consideration of opportunities and constraints of the UP Railroad and associated crossings and rail safety/mobility considerations
• Multimodal planning
• Potential design alternatives and analysis

 

A report will be prepared that summarizes and evaluates a range of alternatives for addressing safety and mobility needs along the Highway 13 corridor. The final report will also include a summary of existing conditions; purpose, need and goals; environmental scan; magnitude of cost; and implementation considerations.

 

 

Current corridor characteristics

Highway

• 2009 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT): 18,400 – 57,000
• 2009 Heavy Commercial Average Daily Traffic (HCADT): 640 – 4,500
• Number of lanes: 4
• Part of the National Highway System (NHS)
• Key highway connections: Interstate-35W, U.S. Highway 169, Highway 77, Highway 101

 

Public Transit

• Burnsville Transit Center (1,300 spaces)
• Heart of the City Park and Ride (370 spaces)
• Savage Park and Ride (195 spaces)

 

Rail

• Union Pacific Railroad parallels the TH 13 corridor and accesses the Savage Ports
• Canadian Pacific Railroad crosses over TH 13 in Savage
• A crossing of the Minnesota River exists to the north of TH 13 near Vernon Avenue

 

Freight

• Ports of Savage intermodal facility services seven (7) river terminals on the Minnesota River, with two primary access points from TH 13
• Yellow Freight Truck Transfer Station
• Increased truck and rail traffic from Scott County silica sand mining operations

 

Corridor Investment Management Strategy (CIMS)

MnDOT has created a new approach to collaborative corridor planning called the Corridor Investment Management Strategy (CIMS). This initiative brings MnDOT together with its local, modal, and state partners to identify opportunities for collaborative and innovative investment.

 

CIMS background for Hwy 13 from Hwy 77 to Hwy 169
The corridor runs 10 miles between U.S. Highway 169 and Highway 77 south of the Minnesota River. The corridor serves as an important East-West connection for suburbs in Dakota County. The corridor is an important access point for the Savage ports. Read more about MnDOT’s CIMS initiative.

 

 

 

Additional background info

Highway 13 is a critical east-west transportation corridor in northern Dakota and Scott Counties connecting Highway 77, Interstate-35W, and U.S. Highway 169, as well as two major river crossings, namely the U.S. Highway 169/Bloomington Ferry Bridge. The corridor serves local residents, businesses, and transit, and is an interregional commerce route carrying high volumes of freight traffic between Interstate-35W and U.S. Highway 169. While the Highway 13 Corridor Study Update focuses on the roadway segment from Highway 101 (west) and Nicollet Avenue (east), regional needs will play a large factor in revisiting short- and long-term strategies that will complement investments completed and programmed.

Work programmed, underway or completed along the study corridor includes:

• Hwy 13/Hwy 101 interchange in Savage: Grade separated bridge improvements allow for continuous east- and west-bound movements, road widening, and local roadway access to Highway 13 has either been eliminated or modified to include right-in/right-out access.
• Hwy 13/Quentin Avenue improvements in Savage: Traffic signal relocation from Lynn Avenue to Quentin Avenue; closure of four local roadway access points and construction of right-in/right-out access at Lynn and Princeton Avenues; and construction of a north frontage road connecting to Lynn Avenue. Construction is near completion.
• Hwy 13/County Hwy 5 interchange in Burnsville: Construction of the new interchange is expected to begin this fall; the design involves an overpass at this intersection to include reconstruction of frontage roads, full access in all directions, acceleration and deceleration lanes, signal timing optimization, noise walls, and sidewalks and trails. The Highway 13/County Highway 5 interchange was the number one priority identified in the 2000 corridor study. This project is being led by Dakota County.

 

Corridor projects waiting funding include:

• Hwy 13/Dakota Avenue in Savage: Installation of a traffic signal and frontage road construction to provide a continuous east-west route for local traffic and port access.
• Hwy 13/Chowen Avenue/Glenhurst Avenue improvements in Savage: Traffic signal installation at Chowen Avenue and frontage road construction to provide a continuous, east-west alternative for local traffic and port access.
• Link Hwy 13 and County Hwy 16 in Savage: Construct a three-lane street roadway link to the south from a reconstructed Chowen/Highway 13 intersection southwesterly toward Savage and intersect Lynn Avenue near 128th Street. It is then proposed to run in a southerly direction to intersect County Highway 16 along the Lynn Avenue alignment. A new grade separated crossing (underpass) of the Canadian Pacific railroad alignment is proposed just north of the roadway link’s intersection with County Highway 16.
• County Hwy 5 Extension in Burnsville: New alignment linking Highway 13/County Highway 5 interchange with the Interstate-35W/Cliff Road interchange; this extension would be the main access roadway into and through the future Minnesota River Quadrant (MRQ) redevelopment area.