Hwy 169 Safety Audit – Grand Rapids to Keewatin

We are looking into conditions along Highway 169 in Itasca County as part of a road safety audit. The audit will cover the median divided highway portion of Highway 169 from the intersection of County Road 85/Glenwood Drive in Grand Rapids to the St. Louis County Line in Keewatin, excluding the two-lane undivided section east of County Road 7 in Taconite to west of Highway 65 in Pengilly.

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A road safety audit studies planned or existing roadways, reviews crash history, traffic data, prior plans and recommendations, and existing conditions. An important part of the audit is public input to help identify potential safety improvements. We have put together a specialized team of independent, multidisciplinary experts to review the safety and operations of Highway 169.

Goal

The primary goal of the Highway 169 audit is to identify traffic safety issues and propose short-, medium-, and long-term strategies to improve the safety of all road users.

Summary of work

During the Highway 169 audit, the interdisciplinary team will do the following:

• Assess current conditions: Document existing traffic and roadway conditions.
• Analyze crash data: Identify areas of safety concern through traffic crash data analysis.
• Gather public input: Collect transportation experiences and safety concerns from the community.
• Conduct field reviews: Identify safety risks in the area through field reviews.
• Develop solutions: Create and evaluate improvement ideas based on all information gathered.
• Propose improvements: Suggest short-, medium-, and long-term safety enhancements.
• Prepare a report: Compile a comprehensive report to guide future projects along Highway 169.

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