Trunk Highway 8

Project Background

	Highway 8 is an important interregional corridor that serves a variety of transportation needs. It is vital to sustaining local commerce and energizing future economic growth and vitality.
	In recent years, Highway 8 has become increasingly strained due to high levels of daily commuters, large trucks hauling freight, and spikes in weekend recreational traffic.
	A proliferation of secondary roads and private driveways provide direct access to and from Highway 8 which contribute to safety and mobility issues.
	There have been a number a serious crashes in recent years, including 4 fatalities.

Chisago County is leading a project to get moving on identifying a long-term solution to improve safety and mobility along US Highway 8 from I-35 in Forest Lake to Karmel Avenue in Chisago County.
The first phase of this project will analyze a variety of alternatives along the corridor to address safety and mobility issues, while taking pedestrian and bicyclist needs into consideration.
The project will also explore the addition of pedestrian curb ramps, crosswalks, and a multi-use trail.