2b. Harwood bike & pedestrian path-comment letter

Harwood Pedestrian and Bicycle Crossing Study - 2007 1. Introduction 1.1 Scope of Study Since the completion of the Cass County Road 22/Clay County Road 26 Red Riverl Bridge in 1991, traffic on Dakota Avenue (CR 22) increased tremendously hindering safe pedestrian/bicycle access to the school in Harwood. Though NDDOT installed flashing I beacons near the Freedland Drive/Dakota A venue intersection to address the safety issues, the corridor continued to be a matter of concern for children walking or biking tOI school from the developments west of 1-29. To address the situation the Hanvood 1-29 Pedestrian/Bicycle Crossing Study was! conducted in 1993. The study was completed with four recommended alternatives. I The current study is an update of the 1993 study with an expanded scope of work. The study develops a purpose and need statement for the project and provides rough cost estimations for the alternatives. The development of a purpose and need statement and I the cost estimations will assist in justifying future funding for the project and help localj officials and residents establish what they intend on accomplishing with the project implementation. The purpose and need statement will also be used to evaluate I alternatives and select a preferred alternative. 1.2 Project Location The project area is Dakota A venue (CR 22) from Main Street to Rivershore Drive (Refer to Map 1.21). I The major landmarks in the study area are: A Gas Station with convenience store located east of the Interstate 29 bridge The gas station invites continuous traffic of vehicles which include trucks and I agricultural combines. In winter there is heavy traffic of snow mobiles. The Harwood School which is located at the north eastern corner of Freedland Drive and Dakota Avenue intersection I The Harwood Community School is located on the eastern side of the 1-29 overpass at the corner of Freedland Drive and Dakota A venue. Many students enrolled at the school walk I across the bridge daily to get to school. Students who bike or walk to school have raised concerns about safely crossing the bridge. The children have to use the roadway shoulder to cross the overpass which they perceive to be unsafe due to the high speed of vehicles, agricultural equipment, the presence of tractor trailers, and the number of intersections. Parents have also mentioned that the school uses the baseball field on the western side of the development for after school activities. The parents from the eastern developments 1 either do not send their children to these activities or have to drive them across due to I inadequate bike and pedestrian facilities on the overpass. The details of the public input have been provided in Section A.l Fargo - Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments - 2 -