Dakota County transportation officials and Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce members broke bread Wednesday, March 12, over controversial details in plans to implement transit options on Cedar Avenue.

At the Chamber's monthly luncheon Scott McBride, project manager and transportation engineer, and county Transportation Director Dan Krom addressed concerns about the planned addition of medians near the intersections of Cedar

Avenue and 147th Street and 153rd Street.

Chamber members said those medians would greatly inhibit accessibility, and success, of several businesses. They asked to be told upfront what other changes they could expect to see on Cedar Avenue.

"As Chamber members, our main concern is what's going to happen to downtown Apple Valley," said Bob Levine, who has owned the Times Square Shopping Center just south of 147th Street for 40 years.

Chamber President Ed Kearney said business owners like Levine need information now so they can make informed decisions about their future. Whether or not they renew a lease or make upgrades could depend on what the road will look like, he said.

Since the Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority selected a plan to move forward with implementation of shoulder-running bus rapid transit (BRT) along the corridor in January, the county has been working toward developing final engineering plans.

The medians came into play when a traffic simulation reflecting 2015 congestion levels showed long lines of vehicles backing up at the intersections. Providing options for two lengths of medians, and a roundabout on 147th Street, the county said the medians would be necessary to reduce the risk of traffic accidents.

While the Chamber was behind the original implementation idea - initially adding lanes to Cedar Avenue between 153rd and 160th streets and limiting or restricting access to some intersections - the details worry members that they no longer have a say in the proceedings.

In addition to disliking the idea of medians, which could restrict cars from making left turns into businesses like Applebee's, Walgreen's, Caribou Coffee, Cub Foods, Target and Best Buy, transit stops along Cedar have business owners worried that their parking lots will be clogged with cars of commuters.

"What I think is important is that there's a fair process," said Chamber Chairman Francois Paradeise. "We're not asking to stop buses or destroy BRT, but these people have the right to know."

McBride, Krom and Dakota County Commissioner Will Branning said the county would continue a dialogue with the city and Chamber as planning progresses.

McBride said the county hoped to resolve design issues by April so that it could begin to work on the environmental assessment for the project. A draft of that assessment, which will look at impacts to noise, business, pollution and water, could be available for public review in mid to late summer. The final design process would happen in 200-2009, and construction could begin in 2010 on Cedar Avenue between 138th Street and 160th Street in Lakeville.

"We hope that everyone has had their say. We're not trying to push anything through," said Branning.

After the luncheon, Kearney said he expected there to be better communication between the groups, and he hoped county officials would consider business impacts carefully.

(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.)

McBride said the county hoped to resolve design issues by April so that it could begin to work on the environmental assessment for the project. A draft of that assessment, which will look at impacts to noise, business, pollution and water, could be available for public review in mid to late summer. The final design process would happen in 200-2009, and construction could begin in 2010 on Cedar Avenue between 138th Street and 160th Street in Lakeville.

"We hope that everyone has had their say. We're not trying to push anything through," said Branning.

After the luncheon, Kearney said he expected there to be better communication between the groups, and he hoped county officials would consider business impacts carefully.

(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.)