TH 169 Interregional Corridor Sub-Area Study in

Belle Plaine - Mn/DOT

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), in cooperation with the City of Belle Plaine, Scott County, and adjacent townships, conducted a Corridor Planning Study to determine the vision of the Trunk Highway (TH) 169 corridor in and around the City of Belle Plaine. At the time of the study, there were 5 skewed, at-grade intersections on a 1.1-mile stretch of TH 169 within the City. Several of the intersections had extensive accident histories including several fatal crashes. The State Legislature allocated right-of-way funds for a freeway interchange on TH 169 within the City of Belle Plaine.

 

The consultant team of Bolton & Menk, Inc. and Resource Strategies Corporation provided engineering and planning services for the study. The study included:

 

  • Development of Conceptual Interchange Layouts
  • Selection of Interchange Location and Configuration
  • Development of Mn/DOT Staff Approved Layout and Obtain Municipal Consent
  • Evaluation of Impacts to Existing and Future Land Uses
  • Development of a Continuous Frontage Road System
  • Traffic Forecasting and Roadway Capacity Analysis
  • Official Mapping for Right-of-Way Preservation

 

The project included extensive public involvement due to the highway-commercial land uses at each of the existing intersections. In addition, the City of Belle Plaine was experiencing an unprecedented level of growth. While the majority of the city was located on the northwest side of TH 169, a good portion of the growth was occurring on the southeast side of TH 169, creating additional demand to cross and access TH 169. In addition, with the skewed intersection of TH 169 with the city street grid system, continuous parallel routes did not exist, resulting in unnecessary local traffic on TH 169.

 

Since the completion of the study in 2003, Bolton & Menk has continued to work with the project partners, area businesses, landowners, and residents to achieve the corridor vision. Improvements achieved and designed by Bolton & Menk include the realignment of CSAH 5 from Kittson Boulevard to Hickory Boulevard, construction of a North Frontage Road between TH 25 and CSAH 3, and construction of West Commerce Drive.