Dakota County partnered with MnDOT to proactively address safety for students traveling to and from these schools, with a focus on safety for those who walk and bike to school. There are about 50 schools in Dakota County next to county and state roads.
The assessments focused on safety issues near the schools and recommendations for improvements. The recommendations will improve safety by identifying solutions in engineering, education and enforcement.
School Travel Safety Assessment Final Report (April 2021)
Implementation plan
The plan for safety improvements is summarized in the Implementation Table. Of the 35 school locations along county roads, 19 will need various improvements, six will need education and enforcement action, and 10 won't need county road improvements.
County staff are working with each school to confirm pedestrian information and communicate improvements. Route plans will be necessary before making crossing improvements and reviewing speed zones.
Improvements will be made as quickly as possible based on the complexity of the work at each location. Most lighting, school crossing improvements, and signal timing will occur in the next two years.
More complex projects will be scheduled within the county's Capital Improvement Program. They will occur 2–4 years from now. Most projects will be included in the proposed 2022-26 CIP.
Some trail projects will need to occur at the same time as nearby roadways are reconstructed. Those projects will be planned in the future.
The recommendations for schools along state roadways were shared with Minnesota Department of Transportation staff for their consideration of programming projects on state highways as applicable.