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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Traffic Control Plans for RAGBRAI Route RESOLUTION NO. 23-275 RESOLUTION APPROVING TRAFFIC CONTROL PLANS FOR RAGBRAI ROUTE FOR THE CITY OF AMES WHEREAS, Ames will be an overnight stop for RAGBRAI L (50) from Tuesday, July 25th, through Wednesday, July 26th, 2023; and, WHEREAS, approximately 20,000 registered bicycle riders, 5,500 support personnel, and several thousand additional non-registered bicyclists are expected to arrive beginning the morning of July 25th from Carroll, and depart the morning of July 26th for Des Moines; and, WHEREAS, Discover Ames is leading the local RAGBRAI organizing committee; and, WHEREAS,the proposed route will enter Ames from the southwest on July 25th,following South Dakota Avenue to Mortensen Road, taking Mortensen Road to Beach Avenue, Beach Avenue to the Reiman Gardens service entrance, taking the East Gateway Bridge reaching the official welcome area east of University Boulevard; and, WHEREAS, the following day, July 26th, riders will collect on University Boulevard between 6th Street and South 16th Street, then take Mortensen Road westbound in a reverse of the inbound circle. Riders will continue on Mortensen Road to South Dakota Avenue and turn south to follow R-38 out of Ames towards Des Moines; 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 25th, riders will approach Ames from the south by riding northbound along R-38/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 Iowa Department of Transportation(IDOT)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 east of Pinon Drive to Ash Avenue, Dotson Drive between Mortensen Road and the southwest parking lot of Ames Middle School, and Seagrave Boulevard will be closed; and, WHEREAS, the intersection of State Avenue and Mortensen Road will be 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 which will be controlled by a temporary traffic signal; and, WHEREAS, residents living in the apartments at 2300 Mortensen Road 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 the eastbound lanes of the boulevard will be closed to vehicle traffic between Ash Avenue and University Boulevard to provide a large, dedicated lane for RAGBRAI riders; WHEREAS, the two westbound lanes of the boulevard will be used for westbound, one- way local traffic. This allows residents to leave their homes. A temporary traffic signal will be used at Big Bluestem Court and Little Bluestem Court to provide access for residents; and, WHEREAS, RAGBRAI riders will turn north onto Beach Avenue, and the northbound lane of Beach Avenue will be closed to vehicle traffic between Mortensen and Greenbriar Circle; 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, the closure of Mortensen will continue through to University Boulevard to prevent vehicles from conflicting with riders at Mortensen and Beach; and, WHEREAS, the Welcome Area will be set up east of University Boulevard in the parking lots at the end of East Gateway Bridge. Riders will disperse north and south from the Welcome Area to their camping areas. Due to the volume of bicycle traffic in the area, South 4th Street will be closed between University Boulevard and South Hazel Avenue from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on July 25th. The street will reopen overnight, and then be closed again on the morning of July 26th from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. to serve as a designated drop-off location for vehicles delivering riders who are participating in the Ames to Des Moines leg 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 8:00 a.m. July 25th through approximately 10:00 a.m. July 26th; 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 26th, the main outbound route assembly point will be along University Boulevard between 6th Street and South 16th Street. Much of 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, Jack Trice Way/University and S. 16th/University to facilitate cross traffic access; and, WHEREAS, riders will turn west onto Mortensen Road, and ride eastbound lanes of the Mortensen Road boulevard, which will be closed to vehicle traffic. Vehicle traffic will be able to use the westbound lanes for one-way access between Beach Road and Ash Avenue; and, WHEREAS, temporary traffic signals at Big Bluestein Court, Hayward Avenue and Coconino Road will be used to stop riders as necessary to provide local traffic access to neighborhoods. The traffic signal at State Avenue and Mortensen Road will also be used to manage cross-route vehicle traffic; and, WHEREAS, riders will turn south onto South Dakota Avenue, and both U.S. 30 off- ramps at South Dakota will be closed during the outbound ride to avoid vehicle conflicts and, WHEREAS, South 4th Street between University Boulevard and Hazel Avenue will be closed to through traffic and Latimer Lane and Tripp Street between Wilmoth Avenue and State Avenue will be closed for riders on southbound State Avenue to join the RAGBRAI route at Mortensen Road; and, WHEREAS, the closures described above will require a mix of volunteers, City staff, Ames Police, ISU Police and outside contracted law enforcement agencies to manage. City staff anticipates using nearly the entire City inventory of temporary traffic control devices, and incurring approximately $3,000-$5,000 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 IDOT to notify those driving to Ames on I-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 L (50), is hereby approved. ADOPTED THIS 9th day of May, 2023. 64 W- 4�z e i::::� � � Renee Nall, City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor Introduced by: Betcher Seconded by: Gartin Voting aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Junck, Rollins Voting nay: None Absent: None Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 91h day of May, 2023.