Draft Resolution regarding Highway 36
prepared for the Roseville City Council Study Session
by the Roseville Citizens League
May 16, 2005

Whereas traffic congestion on Highway 36 encourages commuters to drive on County Roads and city streets in Roseville as a speedier alternative to Highway 36, and

Whereas expansion of Highway 36 through Roseville to three lanes has been placed on the MnDOT plan for implementation in about fifteen years, and

Whereas addition of a third eastbound lane on Highway 36 through Roseville would immediately relieve traffic congestion and decrease the traffic diversion onto County Roads and city streets in Roseville, and

Whereas expansion of the west bound direction will not decrease traffic congestion until expansion of Highway 35W and Highway 280 are complete as these highways receive the bulk of the traffic at the western terminus of Highway 36. and

Whereas funding for expansion of Highway 36 is the responsibility of the State of Minnesota and consideration of interim financing by the City of Roseville is not in the financial interest of Roseville taxpayers, and

Whereas funding of the state highway system is limited and funds must be allocated in a way that most effectively relieves traffic congestion,

Therefore be it resolved that;

1)     The Roseville City Council urges the State legislature and Governor Pawlenty to designate funds within the MnDOT budget for addition of a third eastbound lane to Highway 36 from the western terminus to the interchange with Highway 35E with construction to begin within the next three years and to be completed by 2010.

2)     The Roseville City Council directs the City Manager and designated staff to bring this resolution to the attention of Governor Pawlenty and the legislative leaders of the state Senate and House of Representative and most particularly to, Rep. Mary Liz Holberg, Chair of the House Transportation Finance committee and Sen. Steve Murphy, chair of the Transportation budget division of the Senate Finance Committee.

3)     The Roseville City Council directs the city manager to contact the appropriate city government officials in the municipalities bordering Highway 36 east of Roseville to Highway 694 (i.e.  Little Canada, Maplewood, North St. Paul, and Oakdale) to request their support for this resolution.