Maple Grove Considers How to Stop Speeding on Territorial Road
It has been a traffic issue in Maple Grove for months, if not years: how to control speeding on Territorial Road at the city’s northern border.
According to city traffic surveys, traffic volumes and speeds continue to increase on the rural road that leads into Dayton.
Territorial Road was the subject of controversy and frustration this summer when Maple Grove closed it this for safety reasons while Dayton worked on a nearby road construction project. It forced drivers of the Sundance Woods neighborhood in Dayton to take a four-mile detour.
An October traffic survey showed 85 percent of drivers go at least nine miles per hour above the speed limit on Territorial Road. The speed limit is 35. City officials previously considered changing it to 25, but believed it would do little to change behavior.
The Maple Grove City Council voted this week to keep the speed limit at 35, but add a speed trailer and increase enforcement. According to Maple Grove city officials Dayton is also supposed to make safety improvements at the intersection of Territorial Road and County Road 81, where there is no traffic light. Officials say it’s part of a deal Maple Grove has to provide water utilities to Dayton residents.
