I-94 Preliminary Design and EAW

Working with MnDOT District 3, SRF led a collaborative effort to add an additional lane on I-94 from TH 241 in St. Michael to CSAH 37 in Albertville, as well as an eastbound collector-distributor road between CSAH 37 and CSAH 19. SRF led the development of the MnDOT staff-approved layout, and the preparation of the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) and a federal categorical exclusion (CATEX) document. The project necessitated working closely with the project partners of FHWA, Wright County, and the cities of Albertville and St. Michael.

SRF conducted the traffic analysis for this stretch of interstate under Phase II of a wider traffic study including a larger section of I-94. The traffic study concluded that extending a third lane on I-94 in each direction from TH 241 to CSAH 37 would meet current and future mobility needs.

Working with local stakeholders, SRF incorporated elements into the preliminary design which allow the most flexibility for future infrastructure investments, including a potential future expansion of CSAH 36 in St. Michael, maximum flexibility in stormwater treatment in Albertville, and the ability to expand CSAH 19 under I-94 to up to eight lanes to accommodate traffic demands from the future development north of I-94.

SRF prepared preliminary staging layouts, conducted a field review of shoulder stability, and assisted MnDOT in performing a constructability review of the proposed staging plan to ensure four lanes of traffic could be accommodated on I-94 at all times during construction. The staging feasibility study also included a detailed analysis of staging alternatives for re-building the I-94 bridges over CSAH 19, resulting in the recommendation of a single span bridge type to allow CSAH 19 to remain open during construction.