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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - RAGBRAI Route - Approval of Traffic Control Plan RESOLUTION NO. 18-258 RESOLUTION APPROVING TRAFFIC CONTROL PLANS FOR RAGBRAI ROUTE FOR THE CITY OF AMES WHEREAS, Ames will be an overnight stop for RAGBRAI XLVI from Tuesday,July 24th, through Wednesday, July 25`'', 2018; and, WHEREAS, approximately 10,000 registered bicycle riders, 4,000 support personnel, and several thousand additional non-registered bicyclists are expected to arrive beginning the morning of July 24' from Jefferson, and leave the morning of July 25t' for Newton; and, WHEREAS, the Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) is leading the local RAGBRAI organizing committee in preparing for RAGBRAI's arrival in Ames; and, WHEREAS,the proposed route will enter Ames from the southwest on July 24',following South Dakota Avenue to Mortensen Road,taking Mortensen Road to Beach Avenue,Beach Avenue to S. 4th Street, and reaching the official welcome area along South 4th Street between Beach Avenue and University Boulevard(adjacent Jack Trice Stadium); and, WHEREAS,the following day,July 25t1i,riders will leave from the intersection of University Boulevard and S. 16th Street,following S. 16th Street to Dayton Avenue,taking Dayton Avenue to E. Lincoln Way, and following E. Lincoln Way eastbound out of the City; and, WHEREAS,the volume of riders who are anticipated to participate will require the closure of many City streets to ensure safe travel through the community, and the proposed route was prepared with the intent of minimizing the disruption to the community; and, WHEREAS, as part of the inbound route from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m on Tuesday, July 24', riders will approach Ames northbound along R38/South Dakota Avenue and will ride intermixed with vehicular traffic during this approach; and, WHEREAS,to reduce backups on the westbound off-ramp from U.S.30,staff has consulted with DOT about closing this off-ramp for the day, and vehicles will instead use the University Boulevard or X Avenue exits; and, WHEREAS, Mortensen Road from Pinon Drive to University Boulevard, Dotson Drive between Mortensen Road and the west parking lot of Ames Middle School,and Seagrave Boulevard will be closed; and, WHEREAS,the intersection of State Avenue and Mortensen Road will be access controlled to facilitate drivers who need to cross the route on State Avenue; and, WHEREAS, Gateway Hills Park Drive will be closed at Mortensen Road, and residents living along Gateway Hills Park Drive, along with those who need access to the Parks and Recreation Office and the Ames/ISU Ice Arena,will cross the route at the intersection of Hayward Avenue and the Hansen Ag Center driveway; and, WHEREAS, residents living in the apartments at 2300 Mortensen will be provided access across the route through the ISU Towers parking lot access; and, WHEREAS, once riders reach the median-separated portion of Mortensen Road at Ash Avenue, they will be guided onto the eastbound portion of the boulevard; and, WHEREAS,the two westbound lanes of the boulevard will be converted to two-way travel for local traffic allowing residents to access and leave their homes while providing a large,dedicated lane for RAGBRAI riders; and, WHEREAS, at Coneflower Court, eastbound vehicle traffic will be required to turn around and head westbound.Between Coneflower and Beach Avenue,Mortensen Road vehicle traffic will be westbound only; and, WHEREAS, RAGBRAI riders will turn north onto Beach Avenue, and no northbound vehicle traffic will be allowed on this portion of Beach; and, WHEREAS, the southbound lane of Beach Avenue will be a one-way access for residents who live along Beach, on Indian Grass Court, and on Greenbriar Circle. Residents will leave their homes and head southbound, and will return to their homes from the north; and, WHEREAS,riders will travel along Beach until they reach South 4th Street,where they will turn east and enter the welcome area; and, WHEREAS, the Welcome Area will be set up on South 4th Street between Beach Avenue and University Boulevard,and therefore,this section of roadway will be closed from approximately 6:00 p.m.Monday,July 23rd(for set up)through 10:00 p.m.Tuesday,July 24th(for tear down);and, WHEREAS,because Brookside Park will be a main camping area for riders,it is anticipated a large number of people and support vehicles will be entering and exiting this area, and therefore, 6th Street between University Boulevard and Brookridge Avenue will be closed from 6:00 a.m.July 24th through approximately 11:00 a.m. July 25'; and, WHEREAS,registered support vehicles will be allowed access, along with other City staff and RAGBRAI support vehicles. CyRide will be allowed access through this area to connect between east and west Ames; and, WHEREAS, as part of the outbound route from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday,July 25`'', the main outbound route assembly point will be the intersection of South 16th Street and University Boulevard, and the majority of the outbound route will intermingle RAGBRAI riders with vehicle traffic, unlike the previous day's route; and, WHEREAS, staff anticipates directing riders from the Brookside camping area onto southbound University Boulevard, and will control the traffic signals at 6th/University, Lincoln Way/University, and S. 4th/University to facilitate cross traffic access; and, WHEREAS,riders will turn east onto South 16th Street,and the Veterinary Medicine entry, S. Grand Avenue, Golden Aspen Drive, and South Kellogg Avenue intersections will be managed to facilitate access; and, WHEREAS,the traffic signals at S. Duff Avenue and S. Dayton Avenue will be controlled to alternate the RAGBRAI riders with vehicular cross traffic; and, WHEREAS,riders will turn north onto South Dayton Avenue,and South Dayton Place and Browning Street will be closed at the intersection with S. Dayton Avenue; and, WHEREAS,upon reaching East Lincoln Way,riders will turn east and head towards Nevada, and therefore,Alexander Avenue will be closed at its intersection with East Lincoln Way,and access to this road will be facilitated through Bell Avenue; and, WHEREAS,the closures described above will require a mix of volunteers,City staff,Ames Police, and ISU Police to manage, and City staff anticipates using nearly the entire City inventory of temporary traffic control devices, and incurring approximately$7,250 in costs to rent additional traffic control devices for this two-day period; and, WHEREAS, staff will use the City's Sign Shop to create custom directional signage to facilitate rider and motorist movements; and, WHEREAS,at various locations along the route,staff will utilize electronic message boards to warn motorists and residents about the planned closures in the week prior to the event, and will also use these signs on the day of the event to direct traffic; and, WHEREAS, staff has coordinated with the DOT to notify those driving to Ames on 1-35 about potential detours and delays; and, WHEREAS, City staff already plans to inspect the proposed route in the months and weeks prior to RAGBRAI to ensure any roadway defects are corrected, with the goal of creating a safe riding surface for the thousands of bicyclists who will participate; and, WHEREAS, hosting RAGBRAI as an overnight town is an excellent opportunity to showcase the community for a large number of visitors,and requires a significant investment in time and materials to plan and implement the necessary closures to create a safe and minimally disruptive route. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa, that the traffic control plan for RAGBRAI XLVI, is hereby approved. ADOPTED THIS 8`' day of May, 2018. Diane R. Voss, City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor Introduced by: Betcher Seconded by: Corrieri Voting aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Martin,Nelson Voting nay: None Absent: None Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 8t' day of May, 2018.