Hwy 2 Corridor Study

Corridor study

The City of Fosston conducted a corridor study to evaluate the transportation and pedestrian needs of Highway 2 in Fosston. The locally led study identified community concerns, and considered possible alternatives that could better suit business owners, motorists and pedestrians together.

Results of the study

The study found a community supported solution to reconstruct the highway from a four-lane to three-lane section, which will serve as a long-term implementation tool for both the City of Fosston and MnDOT.

• The highway was restriped in the summer of 2022
• See the full details of the study in the final report

Benefits

• Reduces overall traffic speeds through Fosston
• Creates a strong buffer between pedestrians and motorists
• Improves parking downtown
• Wider and safer sidewalks
• Provides left and right turn lanes which prevent rear end collisions and reduce traffic weaving
• Will create consistent traffic speeds with minimal lane changes
• Reduces blindspots for motorists and pedestrians
• Curb extensions will make pedestrians more visible and shortens crossing distances
• Does not require a center median at school crossing
• Increases opportunities for aesthetic enhancements

Priorities

Along with community input, the following priorities were developed by the community panel to guide the study:

1. Reduce frequency of traffic speeding
2. Improve pedestrian safety
3. Reduce traffic confusion and potential crashes at intersections
4. Provide wider and safer parking options along street
5. Accommodate truck traffic to industrial park and grain elevator
6. Make sidewalks more inviting for pedestrians
7. Ensure low maintenance
8. Improve aesthetics

Corridor study schedule

2019

• August: Corridor study kicks off
• Sept 4: Community Panel meeting
• Oct 7-18: Online survey
• Oct 16: Public meeting
• Nov 21: Community Panel meeting
• Dec 19: Meet with business owners

2020

• Jan 28: Community Panel meeting
• Feb 18: Public Open House
• Feb 24: Public meeting
• Mar: Study recommendations

2021

• Mar 25: Public meeting
• April 12: Panel meeting
• May 10: City Council meeting

2022

• Summer: Restriping - complete

Alternatives considered

Three-lane option

This option had very few unresolved priorities.

• Curb extensions and landscape will require more maintenance
• Curb extensions will be more difficult for truck traffic to maneuver

Four-lane option

This option resulted in a number of unresolved priorities.

• Little effect on traffic speeds
• Does not improve parking
• Requires refuge island at school crossing
• Minimal improvements to pedestrian safety
• Minimal reduction in crash risks:
  • Does not eliminate blind spots
  • Additional lane changes increase risk of collision
  • No turn lanes
  • Variable speeds

Hybrid option

This option was developed with the idea that the four-lane might be better suited for truck traffic west of Kaiser Aven and the three-lane would be better for the area east of Kaiser. Further analysis found that this was not the case, and it was scrapped as an option.

• Visit the About and FAQ pages to learn more about the alternatives under consideration
• Check out the final report

Community review panel

In order to work more closely with local leaders, residents and business owners, project staff worked directly with a community review panel throughout the study. This partnership allowed for a direct connection to the community through a transparent and collaborative process. The committee helped identify the current issues and create a local vision for the corridor. These neighborhood leaders ensured that community values were represented in the development and evaluation of project alternatives, while fostering conversations within the community.

This committee consisted of a diverse cross-section of community representatives that studied the project details in depth and helped define a vision for the corridor.

• Along with learning more about traffic safety/engineering concepts, they:
  • Took an in-depth look at the current issue's
  • Prioritized community needs and preferences
  • Developed and researched possible solutions
  • Cultivated and represented community members input
  • Evaluated and prioritized preferred alternatives

Partnership

MnDOT and its partners have committed to work with the City of Fosston to ensure that the community’s concerns and aspirations are directly reflected in the alternatives developed as part of the Highway 2 Study and to provide feedback on how the community influenced recommendations and decisions.

About

Alternatives

4-lane

This option prioritizes maintaining two lanes of traffic in each direction. East of town, there would be room for additional turn lanes and also for a center median, which would help control traffic speeds. In town however, space becomes much more constricted. The design is able to allow for a small pedestrian island along the school by widening curbs.

3-Lane

3 lane option reduces the number of lanes and leverages the additional space to maximize pedestrian safety, focus on traffic calming, provide center turn to reduce traffic friction, and buffer parking areas. It also increases the distance between traffic lanes and the sidewalks, improving the buffer for pedestrians and also creating more snow storage in winter months for maintenance staff.

Animations

The following animations depict how traffic would flow on the two alternatives using the traffic levels in Fosston. They do not reflect a final design, they are used to add perspective on how the traffic would flow in each of the alternatives.

• 3-lane corridor
• 4-lane corridor

Need for project

• The corridor serves between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles per day depending on season. It has a higher than expected crash rate than similar state highways.
• The City is successfully becoming more pedestrian friendly with the number of pedestrians and activity on sidewalks increasing each year, although Highway 2 can be seen as a barrier to that growth
• Along with residential, business and commuter traffic in Fosston, Hwy 2 also carries:
  • Truck traffic
  • Seasonal farming equipment
  • School buses
• The intersection of Granum Ave is a 5-way intersection that includes a sharp intersecting angle

Additional considerations

Among the alternatives under consideration is the 5-way intersection at Granum Avenue. The current design has many different turning options, which can create confusion for motorists and increases the opportunity for crashes.

Request a copy of the all of the alternatives under consideration