About twice a year, police and first responders are called to the intersection of French Lake Road and Brookside Trail in Champlin because of a motor vehicle crash. It has been a pattern.
“We saw a trend related to speed,” said Carla Stueve, a highway engineer with the Hennepin County Transportation Department.
Tight curves at the intersection where French Lake Road — also known as County Road 121 — turns southeasterly and becomes Elm Creek Crossing also raise the risk of crashes and make it difficult for residents in nearby housing developments to get out of their neighborhoods safely, Stueve said.
To proactively prevent future crashes and slow down drivers, Hennepin County this week will convert the intersection to a four-way stop. The county also will restripe French Lake Road at the intersection so it features only two lanes, a left turn lane and another lane to be shared by through traffic and motorists turning right.
The county also will install stop signs in all directions and make lane modifications at County Road 121 and S. Creek Circle. While fewer mishaps have occurred there, the intersection shares many characteristics present at Brookside and is close by. So the county has decided to put up stop signs there, too, Stueve said.
Electronic message boards announcing the pilot and traffic control changes will go up this week, too, Stueve said. About 6,600 motorists a day use County Road 121, which takes on the name of Hayden Lake Road on the east end of the test area.
Champlin officials, concerned about crashes at Brookside, teamed with the county to try to address safety concerns. The agencies came up with the stop sign pilot as a short-term solution.
“We are hoping to reduce accidents at that intersection,” said Heather Nelson, a Champlin city engineer. “We are hoping installing it will help maneuverability through the intersection.”
