Dakota County is partnering with the City of Eagan and Independent School District 196 to address safety and mobility needs for travelers along Diffley Road from Lexington Avenue to Braddock Trail, including Northview Elementary, Dakota Hills Middle School and Eagan High Schools sites and nearby neighborhood connections. Objectives are to develop short- and long-term improvements to address challenges for this area.

Project update

What to expect in the next few months
The project team is discussing input received at the public meeting and respond to comments. The team will develop a preferred alternative to take to the county, city and school boards for approval. This includes a greater look at design and evaluation to be able to address questions.

By mid-April
We anticipate:

• Developing a bonding request for the state legislature. Actions will be on city council, county board and school board agendas in late March / early April.
• Providing additional opportunities for comment for residents along Braddock Trail and Daniel Drive because of a renewed interest in possible sidewalk improvements. Updating the website with responses to the main comments heard.
• Adding an online interactive mapping tool on the website to allow residents to review the improvements and provide input.

Anticipated in May
Request for city, county and school board to adopt the preferred recommendation for the project work. The actual meeting dates and times will be posted when available.

High school meeting - Wednesday, March 11

High school students and staff viewed project information at Eagan High School. The information presented included layouts and information shared at the public meetings in December and February. See high school meeting summary.

Public information meeting - Thursday, Feb. 27

 Open House Flyer

Meeting Summary
The project team reviewed input from the December public information meetings and evaluated data to develop improvement options.  See the Feb. 27 meeting summary.

The meeting included:

• A presentation was shared
• Following the presentation, meeting attendees viewed project information at several stations and spoke with project team members.

Feb. 27 meeting materials
Project Overview
Project Layouts: Includes potential sidewalk improvements along Daniel Drive and Braddock Trail, which were not part of the draft layouts shown at the Feb. 27 meeting.
Project Alternatives
Roundabouts and Traffic Signals

Improvements made so far

• A 30 mph speed limit was implemented during school arrival and dismissal times.
• Eagan Police has increased its presence to enforce speeding and intersection violations.
• Flashing beacons and a “when flashing" plaque were installed. The flashing operation tells motorists when school students are arriving and leaving school. This change allows Eagan Police to fully enforce the school speed limit during arrival and dismissal times.
• Adult crossing guards were put in place at the Diffley Road and Braddock Trail signal to increase safety.
• Dynamic signs were installed to tell motorist the speed they are traveling. 

Potential improvement recommendations will be shared at the upcoming open house on Feb. 27, 2020.   

Project Schedule

Public open houses - Dec. 11, 2019 or Dec. 16, 2019

Open houses took  place Wednesday. Dec. 11  and Monday, Dec. 16 at the Eagan Community Center. The same content was shared at each open house.

Open House Summary

Improvement Option Matrix

Open House Flyer
Open House Guide

You can email comments to hwy@co.dakota.mn.us.

Prior action

Dakota County, in partnership with the City of Eagan and Independent School District 196, are creating a reduced school speed limit.

Action taken to set school zone speed limit on Diffley Road​ - Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019

Initial project scope

Dakota County initially partnered with the City of Eagan to develop an intersection improvement project on County Road 30 (Diffley Road) at Braddock Trail. The City of Eagan was the lead on this project. The County and City held two open houses to discuss the project and gain input from residents. Based on feedback from the public open house meetings on Feb. 11, 2019 and Nov. 28, 2019, the initial project anticipated for 2019 did not move forward. Rather, several initiatives are occurring:

• City of Eagan Bike & Pedestrian Plan
  Initiative by city staff to assess safety by bicycle and walking, increase access to community destinations, and promote safety. Find out more about the plan.
• Dakota County School Safety Assessment
  County is conducting a proactive assessment of the more than 40 schools adjacent county roads to address safety for students traveling to and from these schools. Find out more about the School Safety Assessment.
• Discussions with ISD 196 staff
  City and County staff met with ISD 196 to discuss potential options to improve safety and reduce queueing to and from the school onto Braddock Trail and Diffley Road.
• Additional project improvement considerations
  Several improvement considerations have been discussed which look to address pedestrian safety and school ingress/egress traffic.

Past neighborhood meetings and open house information

Public open house - Monday, Feb. 11, 2019

Open House Presentation
Open House Summary

Neighborhood meeting - Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018

Meeting Follow-up Discussion
County Road 30 & Braddock Trail Study Summary