In 1855 the City of Afton consisted of a main street through the center of the village going north and south with short side streets extending up the sides of the bluffs. Today, Afton is served by an extensive network of federal, state, county and local roads. However, Afton residents pay amongst the highest percentage of their per capita income in transportation costs in the seven county metropolitan area.
The continued emphasis on low density, rural development pattern will not result in significantly more roads being added to the City of Afton. There is a minimal growth forecast for Afton, but a higher growth forecast for cities and towns adjacent to Afton. This higher adjacent growth forecast may bring more traffic to roads within the City. It will be important for Afton to work cooperatively with County and State government to maintain the rural qualities of its road network as development pressure may lead to the desire to build "over engineered" roadways.
Development of the road system over the past few decades has focused on the the construction of new roads in cooperation with the developers of the subdivisions. The developer has been responsible for the construction of paved roadways and appropriate drainage to city standards and the city has assumed maintenance and ownership of these roadways upon construction. Where possible, consideration has been given to creating throughways to better manage traffic flow through the city. Due to the low development density of the Agricultural zone, road development has been deemed unneccessary and prohibited with the this zone.
The entire City of Afton generates approximately 12,000 vehicle trips per day[1]. This equates to an average of less than one daily trip per acre of land. When comparing this to a typical suburban development, which generates approximately 40 trips per day per acre[2], it is clear that Afton’s low-density, rural development patterns generate a minimal number of trips.
Air Space
The City regards air quality as important as water quality. The vistas and clarity of the air are affected by regional activities irrespective of city limits and jurisdictions.
Afton does not have a public airport and will not plan for any, due to the lack of central services, suitable land space, fragile soils and noise pollution. For the same reasons, there are also no plans for a heliport in the City of Afton.
Transit
The City of Afton does not place a significant emphasis on transit due to the relatively low density of the population. However, residents do make use of the Park and Ride lot located at Interstate 94 and St. Croix Trail. There are not any other park and ride or transit facilities currently planned to be located in Afton. The City is located in Market Area IV[3]; service options for transit in market area IV include dial-a-ride, volunteer driver programs, and ridesharing. The City, in conjunction with its neighboring St. Croix Valley communities and Washington County, may be an advocate for a light rail corredor along I-94 to the St. Croix River. As our population ages, our City may choose to explore the expansion of bus service into our community.
Roads and Highways
Afton places the most emphasis on road and highway transportation. By doing this the City has configured a classification system of streets and highways. Functional classification involves the determination of what function each street or highway should perform before determining street widths, speed limits, intersection controls or other design features. Functional classification assures that non-transportation factors, such as land use and development, are taken into account.
The Functional Classification System consists of four classes; Principal Arterial, Minor Arterial, Collector Streets and Local Streets. Principle arterials, together with minor arterials, make up the Metropolitan Highway System – a highway system of metropolitan significance.
Non-motorized Transportation
While the City of Afton encourages non-motorized transportation, outside of the Old Village, it is not practical as a primary mode of transport. However, with the paving of most of Afton's streets, the City has or could become a destination for the recreational bicyclist who would enjoy the rolling hills, open spaces, and low traffic volumes within much of the community.
The City of Afton establishes the following transportation goals:
1. Ensure safe routes for motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.
2. Support emergency response services via roadways that provide a reliable means of transporting emergency vehicles.
3. Provide appropriate roadways for area businesses depending on their location in an industrial zone or within the historic Old Village.
4. Provide reliable access to roadways outside of the City of Afton.
5. Provide and maintain transportation services in the most cost effective means possible.
6. Seek a minimum of disruption to the natural environment
To bring about these goals, the City of Afton hereby adopts the following policies:
1. In new developments, the developer will continue to bear the responsibility of construction of roadways as necessary.
2. All roadways will be constructed at the minimum width necessary to meet their intended purpose.
To enact these policies and perpetuate the goals of the city, the City of Afton seeks to implement the following strategies:
1 . Create a transportation infrastructure plan to ensure that funding is available planned improvements to the city's transportation infrastructure.
From the 1998 plan:
- Develop collector and arterial streets.
- Require all road construction and reconstruction along the river to be done in accordance with this Plan, City Ordinances, and the National Scenic Rivers Act.
- Provide for the possible extension of all local streets in new subdivisions to avoid cul-de-sacs.
- Require adequate separation of access points on collector streets.
- Require minimum setbacks from the centerline of streets, through zoning and subdivision ordinances, to assure adequate rights of way in the future as streets are upgraded.
- Require right of way dedication for existing easement roads and future streets whenever land is subject to City Council approval.
- Require right angle intersections wherever possible to avoid traffic hazards and odd shaped lots.
- Require a 150 foot setback along designated collector streets.
- Continue studies to upgrade C.S.A.H. 21 from 45th Street South to County Road 20.
- Encourage non-motorized trails construction when County and State roads are reconstructed.
- Coordinate street improvements with adjacent communities, county and state agencies.
- Encourage park and ride lots for commuters in areas adjoining major thoroughfares.
- Allocate funds for the annual maintenance of streets in accordance with the Capital Improvements Plan.
- Post speed limits and weight and parking restrictions on City streets, where appropriate.
- Conduct an annual audit of City street conditions.
- Prepare and implement a non-motorized trails master plan to accommodate alternative modes of transportation.
- Prepare an access management plan designed to assure an appropriate level of access and alleviates potential conflicts and roadway congestion.
- Work with the County to address the issues involved in functional and jurisdictional changes.
- Work with the County and MN/DOT to develop an access management plan which assures an appropriate level of access and alleviates potential conflicts and roadway congestion.
- Regulate ultra-light aircraft, hang-gliders, and balloons in order to protect the personal safety and privacy of citizens, minimize damage to property, and avoid unnecessary disruption to animals and of the environment.
- Regulate all seaplane operations on the St. Croix River with the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Code of Rules.
- Regulate and review structure heights along the river for aviation purposes and the safety of seaplanes.
- Require that all streets in subdivisions be paved with asphalt.
- Provide a program for the paving of all collector streets with asphalt.
