US 71 Bemidji Corridor Improvement Project
Welcome to the US 71 Bemidji Corridor Improvement Project virtual open house. The goal of the project is to make improvements to intersections that will improve safety along US 71 between Highway 197 to Winter Sumac Road. The intersection improvements will be included in MnDOT’s resurfacing project in 2022. This virtual presentation is a follow up to the open house that took place in December 2019.
Project Limits Map
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About this presentation
The entire session should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. We look forward to receiving your input and continuing to inform people of the project. Thank you for your participation in our online engagement.
Following guidance from state health officials to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has temporarily postponed all public meetings and in-person events. Public engagement on transportation and construction projects remains a priority and we appreciate you joining us online to learn more about this project.
How to navigate:
Click the arrows on the right of your screen to go forward or the left to go backward. Use the navigation bar on the left of your screen to revisit any part of the meeting.
Click through all 15 slides to learn more about the next steps for each of the eight intersections.
How to participate:
Provide a comment at any point by clicking the “Comment” button at the top right of your screen. You may close the form to continue through the slides. Once finished, please make sure to hit "Submit" to confirm that your comment is sent to the project team. All comments must be received by December 15.
Project Overview
Information and needs
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is planning to resurface a portion of the US 71 corridor between Highway 197 and Winter Sumac Road near Bemidji. As part of this project, MnDOT is planning to reconfigure eight intersections to improve safety, road and drainage conditions, and traffic congestion.
Currently the project area has crash frequency and severity rates greater than the state average. A goal of the project is to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes by use of Reduced Conflict Intersections (RCIs). The project team evaluated many options for improvement at each of the intersections.
Study recommendations
The recommended intersection improvements will:
- Improve intersection safety
- Reduce congestion
- Improve pavement driving surface
- Improve drainage
- Provide intersection control consistency
Intersection solutions
Continue through this virtual engagement to see the recommended adjustments for each intersection. Final design is scheduled for Fall of 2020 to December of 2021 with construction anticipated to start in Spring of 2022.
Traffic Crashes Map
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Engagement Summary
Community involvement
Our team has been engaging with the Bemidji community to gather input that will help the project team create a vision and provide the right improvements for the US 71 intersections. Our recent engagement efforts are outlined below.
Community review panel
Our project team hosted four Community Review Panel meetings, which included representatives from:
- City of Bemidji
- Local business owners
- Beltrami County
- Bemidji Township
- Bemidji Ambulance
- Paul Bunyan Transit
- Bemidji Chamber of Commerce
- MnDOT
The meetings focused on the goals for the project and the exploration of different intersection options. We shared information regarding construction costs, cost/benefit analysis, and different traffic options and intersection configurations. The meetings took place in:
- December 2019
- January 2020
- February 2020
- October 2020 (virtual meeting)
Note: The Community Review Panel meetings between March and September were cancelled due to COVID-19.
Open house
Our project team held an open house with the public in December 2019. We shared the project’s purpose, goals, and proposed intersection improvements and were on hand to answer questions.
We also collected written feedback that informed how we designed the recommended improvements for each intersection.
Innovative intersection solutions
The next two slides contain the new intersection design options being explored for this project. Roundabouts and reduced conflict intersections (RCIs) are two intersection types that are proven to improve safety and reduce congestion. Learn more about these intersections before exploring our recommendations for US 71.
Roundabouts
About roundabouts
In short, roundabouts work well. A roundabout used at the right location will help you get through the intersection more safely and in less time. Pavement markings, curves at entry points, and raised islands direct traffic into a one-way counter-clockwise flow around the central island.
Benefits of roundabouts:
- Allows drivers to get through the intersection more safely and in less time
- Handles more traffic with less waiting than most stop signs or traffic signals
- Slows traffic down to make entering and exiting the area easier for all users
- Reduces the risk for higher speed crashes as traffic volumes increase
Learn more about roundabouts:
For additional information on roundabouts: www.mndot.gov/roundabouts
Click the image above to enlarge.
Reduced Conflict Intersections
About reduced conflict intersections (RCIs)
Reduced Conflict Intersections are intersections that decrease fatalities and injuries caused by broadside (T-bone) crashes on four-lane divided highways. In some parts of the country, RCIs are sometimes referred to as J-turns or RCUTs.
In an RCI, drivers always make a right turn, followed by a U-turn. Motorists approaching divided highways from a side street cannot make left turns or cross traffic. Instead, they are required to turn right onto the highway and then make a U-turn at a designated median opening. Drivers turning right turn directly into the left turn lane. The Minnesota law was changed to make this maneuver legal.
Click the images shown here to enlarge.
Benefits of RCIs:
RCIs improve safety because drivers from the side street only have to be concerned with one direction of traffic on the highway at a time, which gives the driver less to look at and decide all at once. A RCI also breaks the crossing of a high-speed two-lane highway into separate safer movements since you do not need to wait for a gap in both directions to cross a major road.
| Key Safety Benefits | Statewide Experience |
|---|---|
Eliminates four critical right angle conflict points |
78% reduction in right angle crashes |
Trades four critical conflicts for two additional turning/merge points |
27% increase in rear end, side swipe, and run off road crashes |
25% reduction in total conflict points |
12% total reduction in crashes statewide |
RCIs have resulted in reduced crashes when compared to through-stop intersections. Note: data is from A Study of the Traffic Safety at Reduced Conflict Intersections in Minnesota
Learn more about RCIs:
For additional information on RCIs and conflict point reduction: www.mndot.gov/roadwork/rci
US 71 Intersection Recommendations
Recommendation selection
The next eight slides outline the suggested changes for each of the intersections that best accomplished these two goals:
Proactively improves safety of the corridor
Feasibility from a long-term operations perspective
MnDOT is recommending these improvements for eight US 71 corridor intersections based on community input and technical analysis. Community input included discussions with stakeholders such as Beltrami County, Northern Township, the City of Bemidji and the broader community. The technical analysis included intersection operations and safety analyses, benefit/cost analysis and consideration of the key decision factors.
Selected intersections:
- US 71 and Anne Street
- US 71 and Net Way
- US 71 and Fern Street
- US 71 and Blueberry Lane
- US 71 and Balsam Road
- US 71 and Lakewood Drive
- US 71 and Glidden Road
- US 71 and Winter Sumac Road
Tell us what you think
Please read each of the intersection slides to learn more about what we are planning. You can provide feedback on the recommendations in the comments box on each slide.
Project Intersections Map
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US 71 and Anne Street
Recommended intersection type: Roundabout
A roundabout is the recommended improvement for the intersection of US 71 and Anne Street.
It will take the place of the current traffic-signaled controlled crossing. This option will provide a significant increase to motorist safety, provide additional lane space for the peak afternoon traffic levels and reduce delays, and reduce the potential of severe crashes.
Click the map or intersection design images to enlarge.
Roundabout elements:
- Designed to accommodate a wide range of vehicle types
- Includes crosswalks for pedestrians
- Dedicated right turn bypass lanes to help reduce traffic backups
- Will lower speeds for US 71 and Anne Street traffic to improve safety
In this design, Hannah Avenue will move to align with Minnkota Avenue along Anne Street. This will add more space between the US 71/Anne Street intersection and Anne Street/Hannah Avenue intersection to reduce traffic backups.
Your feedback
Comments are closed. Thank you for your input.
US 71 and Net Way
Recommended intersection type: Reduced Conflict Intersection
A reduced conflict intersection is the recommended improvement for the intersection of US 71 and Net Way.
The intersection changes will help to improve safety by adjusting access routes from Net Way onto US 71 to reduce the potential of severe crashes. To go north on US 71 drivers will use the roundabout at Anne Street or the RCI at Fern Street.
Click the map or intersection design images to enlarge.
Your feedback
Comments are closed. Thank you for your input.
US 71 and Fern Street
Recommended intersection type: Reduced Conflict Intersection
A reduced conflict intersection is the recommended improvement for the intersection of US 71 and Fern Street.
The intersection changes will improve safety by adjusting access to Fern Street to reduce the potential of severe crashes.
Click the map or intersection design images to enlarge.
Your feedback
Comments are closed. Thank you for your input.
US 71 and Blueberry Lane
Recommended intersection type: Reduced Conflict Intersection
A reduced conflict intersection is the recommended improvement for the intersection of US 71 and Blueberry Lane.
The intersection changes will improve safety by adjusting access to Blueberry Lane, Lakes Concrete and Northwoods Lumber to reduce the potential of several crashes.
Click the map or intersection design images to enlarge.
Your feedback
Comments are closed. Thank you for your input.
US 71 and Balsam Road
Recommended intersection type: Reduced Conflict Intersection
A reduced conflict intersection is the recommended improvement for the intersection of US 71 and Balsam Road.
The intersection changes will improve safety by adjusting access routes from US 71 onto Balsam Road and from Balsam Road onto US 71 to reduce the potential of severe crashes.
Click the map or intersection design images to enlarge.
Your feedback
Comments are closed. Thank you for your input.
US 71 and Lakewood Drive
Recommended intersection type: Reduced Conflict Intersection
A reduced conflict intersection is the recommended improvement for the intersection of US 71 and Lakewood Drive.
The intersection changes are focused on improving safety by adjusting access routes from US 71 onto Lakewood Drive and from Lakewood Drive onto US 71 to reduce the potential of severe crashes.
Click the map or intersection design images to enlarge.
Your feedback
Comments are closed. Thank you for your input.
US 71 and Glidden Road
Recommended intersection type: Reduced Conflict Intersection
A reduced conflict intersection is the recommended improvement for the intersection of US 71 and Glidden Road.
The intersection changes are focused on improving safety by adjusting access routes between US 71 and Glidden Road, and US 71 and Town Hall Road to reduce the potential of severe crashes.
Click the map or intersection design images to enlarge.
Your feedback
Comments are closed. Thank you for your input.
US 71 and Winter Sumac Road
Recommended intersection type: Standard intersection
A standard intersection with left turn lanes is the recommended improvement for the intersection of US 71 and Winter Sumac Road.
The intersection changes will provide improved safety and consistency with the other two-lane intersections along US 71. Left turn lanes will be added on US 71 at Winter Sumac Road. A left turn lane will also be added at East Movil Lake Road.
Click the map or intersection design images to enlarge.
Your feedback
Comments are closed. Thank you for your input.
Stay Connected
Thank you for your interest in the US 71 Bemidji Corridor Improvement Project
Share
It is important for the community to understand what is being proposed and why these improvements were selected. Please pass along the link to this virtual open house to your family, friends and coworkers that use US 71 in this area so they know what to expect and can sign up for email updates.
Sign up
For more information about the project and to sign up to receive email updates, please visit: www.mndot.gov/d2/projects/hwy71-bemidji
Connect
Join the Facebook group:
MnDOT | Northwest Minnesota
Contact the project team
Joe McKinnon, PE
MnDOT Project Manager
218-214-0473
Joseph.mckinnon@state.mn.us