A fire was lit in the heart of Deborah Lysholm.

Owner of Heartbeat Studios in Apple Valley, Lysholm attended her first Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce luncheon in February. The topic of discussion was potential expansion of Cedar Avenue and construction concepts that would greatly impact her business.

She was floored.

She asked herself: Why had she not heard of these plans before? Why hadn't she been contacted?

Lysholm's hand shot up to question the experts from the Cedar Avenue Technical Advisory Committee.

"What about the human aspect?" she asked. "Have you given any thought to how adversely this project will affect Apple Valley businesses along Cedar Avenue?"

Lysholm said she was appalled by the answer she received from Project Manager Kristin Elwood, who essentially told her businesses suffer due to poor management.

It was then, Lysholm said, she felt her questions weren't being heard, much less answered.

Over the next several weeks, Lysholm educated herself on the proposed concepts and the history of the transitway issues. She contacted county and city officials. And, she pounded the pavement, walking up and down 145th Street in Apple Valley, discussing the proposals with neighboring business owners.

As Lysholm conducted her door knocking, she found many store owners along 145th Street had the same concerns - shutting off access from Cedar would kill their business. Concept 4, they feared, proposed to do just that.

"The lack of information Dakota County has given out is really stunning to me," Lysholm said.

So Lysholm decided to host her own informational meeting at Heartbeat Studios.

On April 12, business owners, from Dalseth Dental, Curves, Kennedy Transmission, Valley Buick, Pontiac and GMC, Time Square, Watson's Pools and Spas, KinderCare, Colwell Banker, Kwik Trip and others gathered to share their stories and to hear directly from Dakota County commissioners and Apple Valley City Council members.

"I'm just one story, there's all these business owners who have helped build Apple Valley to what it is today," Lysholm said.

Dr. Karl Biewald of Orthodontic Care Specialists presented his take on the situation.

"The plan, specifically Concept 4, could have dire consequences for us," he said.

Specifically, business owners worried that traffic wouldn't have access off Cedar until 147th Street, leaving customers to backtrack through and "inadequate street system" to reach 145th Street and northern Apple Valley.

A minimum of 40 businesses rely on access from the 145th Street Cedar Avenue intersection.

"Apple Valley businesses and support infrastructure should be cherished, not compromised," Biewald said.

Apple Valley is expected to gain another 50 percent of its current population. This totals an additional 90,000 people on Cedar Avenue. Traffic volumes on Cedar are exceeding 100,000 vehicles a day at the Minnesota River bridge, with congestion sometimes extending as far south as County Road 42.

As a means to deal with the continued growth in Dakota County, the Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority (DCRRA), comprised of Dakota County commissioners, began a Cedar Avenue Corridor Transitway Study in 1999 by examining light rail transit and bus rapid transit (BRT) options. DCRRA decided on BRT due to the increased ridership and development opportunities.

The decision has already been made to install dedicated lanes solely for BRT along the shoulders of the road.

The conversation of expanding Cedar, Lysholm said, is unfair to Apple Valley, which would bear the brunt of the construction, and moot, because it doesn't fix the problem of Cedar narrowing to two lanes north of County Road 38.

"It's not just the volume of cars, it's poor freeway design," said Barb Ferris, an Eagan resident.

Ferris, who travels the corridor regularly, said she is puzzled why the Minnesota Department of Transportation doesn't have plans to widen that section of Cedar over the next 20 years.

Will Branning, a Dakota County commissioner, chair of the Cedar Avenue Advisory group, a member of the Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority and an Apple Valley resident, said the lack of plans to add a third lane northbound on Cedar is a problem.

As a representative, Branning said he has and will continue to advocate for the roadwork at the state level.

But with their hands tied in authority over northern Cedar, Branning said the county's focus has to be on getting more people out of their cars and into buses.

The expansion concept plans, he said, were merely that - simply concepts.

"We're here to work together to solve our future problems in increments," Branning told business owners.

Apple Valley Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland, vice chair of the Cedar Avenue Advisory Group, said a goal in enhancing Cedar is to secure the vibrancy of the business community.

She called the four concepts "fluid" and assured business owners that no decisions have been made.

Apple Valley City Administrator Tom Lawell said BRT has been in the works for some time. The road improvement concepts, on the other hand, are new to the drawing board.

"I don't fault the engineers for putting up Concept 4," Lawell said. "But I can also understand why business owners see that and are concerned."

Branning called the presentations of the four concepts "premature." A timeline has not been established as to when a decision will be made. Currently, only comments are being taken.

Dakota County and the Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority are still focused on implementing phase one of BRT, which will not be completed until 2012, he said.

"That's our first priority," Branning said.

There's also the issue of funding, Branning said.

Branning said phase one of BRT could add up to $40 million, with all the transit station improvements, busways and signal accommodations. Securing state and federal dollars for the project has also taken years to accomplish.

Apple Valley City Council member John Bergman pointed out the lack of funding available.

"The bottom line here is, where are you going to get all that money to do Concept 4?" Bergman said. "None of us on the council really would like to see Concept 4."

There are no estimates on any of the concepts, including Concept 4.

Biewald said the implementation of BRT and planning for the future was something he supported.

"We don't have a problem with Cedar being widened, that's progress," he said.

However, he and the other business owners' found trouble in the extreme nature of Concept 4.

"Anything other than Concept 4 works for us," said Jim Paul, vice president of Valley Automotive Group.

Lysholm called the freeway concept "a spear through the heart of Apple Valley."

"We do want congestion to be relieved, we do want traffic to flow," Hamann-Roland said. "There's a balance we have to strike here."

Now is the time for businesses and residents to voice their concerns, Hamann-Roland said.

For more information on the Cedar Avenue corridor transitway, visit http://www.co.dakota.mn.us/EnvironmentRoads/Transit/PublicTransportation/CedarAve.htm.

(You are invited to comment about this story on our website at www.mnsun.com and/or write a letter to the editor at suncurrentsouth@acnpapers.com.)

The following concepts were developed as potential improvements over the next 20 years. No decisions have been made as to which option, if any, will be implemented.

Concept 1 involves building out Cedar's signal system into Lakeville, reworking some signals and possible closure of access points for safety. This concept makes room for the BRT improvements only.

Concept 2 expands on Concept 1, and adds double turn lanes at key intersections along Cedar.

In Concept 3, additional traffic lanes would be added to Cedar, improvements made to select cross streets, additional left turn lanes and pedestrian accommodations such as a bridge or tunnel. The only signaled lights proposed for removal are 162nd Street and Dodd Boulevard in Lakeville.

Concept 4 proposes to make Cedar Avenue resemble a highway through Apple Valley, with the removal of several intersections and signals, interchange options, new frontage roads and road connections.

On April 12, business owners, from Dalseth Dental, Curves, Kennedy Transmission, Valley Buick, Pontiac and GMC, Time Square, Watson's Pools and Spas, KinderCare, Colwell Banker, Kwik Trip and others gathered to share their stories and to hear directly from Dakota County commissioners and Apple Valley City Council members.

"I'm just one story, there's all these business owners who have helped build Apple Valley to what it is today," Lysholm said.

Dr. Karl Biewald of Orthodontic Care Specialists presented his take on the situation.

"The plan, specifically Concept 4, could have dire consequences for us," he said.

Specifically, business owners worried that traffic wouldn't have access off Cedar until 147th Street, leaving customers to backtrack through and "inadequate street system" to reach 145th Street and northern Apple Valley.

A minimum of 40 businesses rely on access from the 145th Street Cedar Avenue intersection.

"Apple Valley businesses and support infrastructure should be cherished, not compromised," Biewald said.

Apple Valley is expected to gain another 50 percent of its current population. This totals an additional 90,000 people on Cedar Avenue. Traffic volumes on Cedar are exceeding 100,000 vehicles a day at the Minnesota River bridge, with congestion sometimes extending as far south as County Road 42.

As a means to deal with the continued growth in Dakota County, the Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority (DCRRA), comprised of Dakota County commissioners, began a Cedar Avenue Corridor Transitway Study in 1999 by examining light rail transit and bus rapid transit (BRT) options. DCRRA decided on BRT due to the increased ridership and development opportunities.

The decision has already been made to install dedicated lanes solely for BRT along the shoulders of the road.

The conversation of expanding Cedar, Lysholm said, is unfair to Apple Valley, which would bear the brunt of the construction, and moot, because it doesn't fix the problem of Cedar narrowing to two lanes north of County Road 38.

"It's not just the volume of cars, it's poor freeway design," said Barb Ferris, an Eagan resident.

Ferris, who travels the corridor regularly, said she is puzzled why the Minnesota Department of Transportation doesn't have plans to widen that section of Cedar over the next 20 years.

Will Branning, a Dakota County commissioner, chair of the Cedar Avenue Advisory group, a member of the Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority and an Apple Valley resident, said the lack of plans to add a third lane northbound on Cedar is a problem.

As a representative, Branning said he has and will continue to advocate for the roadwork at the state level.

But with their hands tied in authority over northern Cedar, Branning said the county's focus has to be on getting more people out of their cars and into buses.

The expansion concept plans, he said, were merely that - simply concepts.

"We're here to work together to solve our future problems in increments," Branning told business owners.

Apple Valley Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland, vice chair of the Cedar Avenue Advisory Group, said a goal in enhancing Cedar is to secure the vibrancy of the business community.

She called the four concepts "fluid" and assured business owners that no decisions have been made.

Apple Valley City Administrator Tom Lawell said BRT has been in the works for some time. The road improvement concepts, on the other hand, are new to the drawing board.

"I don't fault the engineers for putting up Concept 4," Lawell said. "But I can also understand why business owners see that and are concerned."

Branning called the presentations of the four concepts "premature." A timeline has not been established as to when a decision will be made. Currently, only comments are being taken.

Dakota County and the Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority are still focused on implementing phase one of BRT, which will not be completed until 2012, he said.

"That's our first priority," Branning said.

There's also the issue of funding, Branning said.

Branning said phase one of BRT could add up to $40 million, with all the transit station improvements, busways and signal accommodations. Securing state and federal dollars for the project has also taken years to accomplish.

Apple Valley City Council member John Bergman pointed out the lack of funding available.

"The bottom line here is, where are you going to get all that money to do Concept 4?" Bergman said. "None of us on the council really would like to see Concept 4."

There are no estimates on any of the concepts, including Concept 4.

Biewald said the implementation of BRT and planning for the future was something he supported.

"We don't have a problem with Cedar being widened, that's progress," he said.

However, he and the other business owners' found trouble in the extreme nature of Concept 4.

"Anything other than Concept 4 works for us," said Jim Paul, vice president of Valley Automotive Group.

Lysholm called the freeway concept "a spear through the heart of Apple Valley."

"We do want congestion to be relieved, we do want traffic to flow," Hamann-Roland said. "There's a balance we have to strike here."

Now is the time for businesses and residents to voice their concerns, Hamann-Roland said.

For more information on the Cedar Avenue corridor transitway, visit http://www.co.dakota.mn.us/EnvironmentRoads/Transit/PublicTransportation/CedarAve.htm.

(You are invited to comment about this story on our website at www.mnsun.com and/or write a letter to the editor at suncurrentsouth@acnpapers.com.)

The following concepts were developed as potential improvements over the next 20 years. No decisions have been made as to which option, if any, will be implemented.

Concept 1 involves building out Cedar's signal system into Lakeville, reworking some signals and possible closure of access points for safety. This concept makes room for the BRT improvements only.

Concept 2 expands on Concept 1, and adds double turn lanes at key intersections along Cedar.

In Concept 3, additional traffic lanes would be added to Cedar, improvements made to select cross streets, additional left turn lanes and pedestrian accommodations such as a bridge or tunnel. The only signaled lights proposed for removal are 162nd Street and Dodd Boulevard in Lakeville.

Concept 4 proposes to make Cedar Avenue resemble a highway through Apple Valley, with the removal of several intersections and signals, interchange options, new frontage roads and road connections.