If you have been stuck in traffic lately, you are not alone.
The Prior Lake City Council received an update from the Minnesota Department of Transportation ahead of its council meeting on June 10.
According to MnDOT, traffic flow in Prior Lake is building up. State Highway 13, in particular, has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, and officials told the council the highway has a slightly higher crash rate than average.
The good news, though, is that traffic plans are working well to clear up rush hour backups. One such element of traffic planning are the stoplights that are kept flashing yellow during off-peak hours. These lights are adjusted to the typical red-yellow-green cycle during high traffic periods to provide safer and smoother traffic flow.
Major projects on the thoroughfares of Prior Lake are still years out. While dates are not firm and subject to movement based on need and availability, work is planned for about 2030 at the intersection of Highways 13 and 282, and along Highway 13 between Eagle Creek Boulevard and County Road 42 in about 2035.
Additionally, MnDOT officials said projected future traffic shows significant increases in the number of vehicles traveling on Marschall Road north to U.S. Highway 169. As the city grows in its western half, a possible solution is expected to include a roundabout.
Fiscally sound city
City staff presented the annual update on Prior Lake’s 10-year financial plan on Tuesday.
The city possesses a AAA bond rating as it looks ahead to a potential bond referendum this fall to support planned parks projects.
The council chose to direct city staff to construct a bond structure with level annual debt service, meaning the city’s payments will be spread evenly over the life of the bond; this method has been previously used by the city. This is in contrast to a structured debt service in which the city defers paying the payment on the principle.
This included planning scenarios related to financing the potential upcoming Park Referendum Bond.
Additionally, the city has received a clean financial audit from the firm LB Carlson.
Other news items
The council passed a resolution to consider a franchise request for Comcast Media to add high-speed internet service to the city. The company says it’s part of a larger project covering Savage, Victoria and Waconia.
The police department also received approval for a two-year contract with Flock Safety for automated license plate recognition cameras. The cameras, when combined with existing networks of Flock cameras in other Minnesota municipalities, can send alerts to law enforcement officials when a plate of interest is detected.
