Letter to the Editor: Motorists, Please Take Caution When Driving Near Eagan High School

Eagan residents Bob and Theresa Eisele share their concerns about traffic congestion near the intersection of Diffley Road and Braddock Trail.

Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter | Blog for us On any given school day between 7:00-8:00 a.m. and 2:15-6:15 p.m. within a one-mile radius of Braddock Trail and Diffley Road, traffic congestion results from hundreds of vehicles traveling to/from work and the three schools (Northview Elementary School, Dakota Hills Middle School, and Eagan High School) clustered in this area. Despite school zone designation and Diffley Road labeled “hazardous” by District 196, the speed limit remains 45 mph. Did you know a pedestrian has a 10 percent chance of survival when struck by a vehicle at that rate of speed? Undoubtedly, their definition of living would be compromised. Area residents are …

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Year in Review

Top 10 Stories of 2012: Hockey Coach, EHS Grad Both Killed in Car Accident

Fatal car crashes, robberies, sports scandals, big business developments. Eagan Patch looks back at the Top 10 stories of 2012.

Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter | Blog for us Editor's Note: As the New Year approaches, Eagan Patch will review the Top 10 most significant stories of 2012, in terms of total pageviews and impact to the community. Disagree with our assessment, or have other stories you think should've made the Top 10? Please post your feedback or thoughts in the comment stream below. Eagan Police Chief Jim McDonald called the March 17 car accident that killed Eagan High School grad Ahsim Ahmed and local hockey coach Kelly Kristiansen unparalleled in its impact to the community. Both victims were well-known and well-regarded in the community, and mourners quickly erected small memorials along Diffley …

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Road Improvements Near Eagan High School Address Pedestrian Safety Concerns

City workers installed new pedestrian signs, warning lights and turn lanes on Braddock Trail.

Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter Pedestrian safety and traffic flow were the driving forces behind a series of recent street improvements near Eagan High School. Earlier this summer, the city's road crews installed two yellow pedestrian signs with warning lights to call attention to the Braddock Trail crosswalks at the intersection of Ventnor and Pennsylvania Avenues. The warning lights will blink during hours set by the school district when pedestrian traffic is heaviest, according to a notice released by the school district. But the crosswalk lights aren't the only projects the city undertook in the area this summer.  At the intersection of Diffley Road and Braddock Trail, the right …

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Construction Closures Continue on Hwy. 77 in Eagan

Lane and ramp closures are scheduled this week for portions of the highway between Diffley Road and the Minnesota River Bridge.

Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter Editor's Note: The following is a press release from the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Motorists will experience delays on both directions of Hwy. 77 in Eagan beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21. The right lane of northbound Hwy 77 will close overnight starting at 7 p.m. between Diffley Road and the Minnesota River Bridge as crews continue to pave.  Once northbound paving is complete, the left lane will close on southbound Hwy. 77 for paving.  The overnight paving for southbound Hwy 77 of the left lane is expected to be complete by 11 a.m. the following day. During northbound paving operations, loops from northbound Hwy 77 to westbound Hwy 13 …

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Eagan Patch Week in Review, April 2-8

Each Sunday, Patch revisits the headlines with our 'Week in Review' feature.

BLOGS: BUSINESS: COMMUNITY: GOVERNMENT: PUBLIC SAFETY: SCHOOLS: SPORTS:

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UPDATED: Undiagnosed Medical Condition May Have Been Factor in Fatal Diffley Crash, Police Say

The March 17 accident killed 18-year-old Ahsim Ahmed and 42-year-old Kelly Kristiansen, both of Eagan.

Eagan High School graduate Ahsim Ahmed may have been traveling at speeds in excess of 100 mph moments before a fatal accident that claimed his life and the life of Eagan resident and hockey coach Kelly Kristiansen, according to a recently completed police investigation. Expert analysis and eyewitness accounts point to Ahmed's speed and erratic driving as the causes of the fatal accident, which took place on Saturday, March 17, near the intersection of Diffley Road and Amberleaf Trail. Witnesses interviewed by police saw Ahmed's vehicle drive off the roadway, strike a traffic sign, cross the median and narrowly miss hitting another car before finally colliding head-on with the vehicle drove by Kristiansen. Kristiansen, who was driving …

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Construction on Eagan's First Noise Barrier Starts Next Week

The sound wall will stretch for more than 1,500 feet along the west side of Interstate 35E, according to city and Minnesota Department of Transportation officials.

Eagan will get its first traffic noise barrier this spring, according to city and state officials. Construction on 1,500-foot concrete and wood wall—located along the west side of Interstate 35E north of Diffley Road—will begin on April 2, Minnesota Department of Transportation Noise Abatement/Air Quality Supervisor Peter Wasko said. The wall, which is expected to cost just over $520,000, will likely be complete by June, Wasko said. The average wall height will be 15 feet. Legislation passed in 1996, Wasko said, requires MnDOT to develop a statewide ranking system to address noise issues in areas throughout the state that exceeded the state's daytime noise standards. The rankings, last updated in 2011, included the site along I-35E near …

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Eagan Patch Week in Review, March 19-25

Each Sunday, Patch revisits the headlines with our 'Week in Review' feature.

BLOGS: BUSINESS: COMMUNITY: GOVERNMENT: PUBLIC SAFETY: SCHOOLS: SPORTS:

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Community Remembers Eagan Car Crash Victims

Ahsim Ahmed Jr., 18, and Kelly Kristiansen, 42, were killed in a two-car collision on Saturday evening in Eagan.

Chris McDonald first learned of Eagan High School graduate Ahsim Ahmed Jr.'s death in a car accident on Saturday night, when he started receiving text messages from members of the EHS Debate Team. McDonald, the debate team coach, worked for three years with Ahmed, who was a member of the debate team from his sophomore year onward. McDonald remembers him as a quiet, upbeat student who usually said hello when he passed in the school hallways. "You never get used to anyone dying in that manner, but you know that it happens," McDonald said. "When it intersects that closely with your life, it reminds you that life is precious and unpredictable." Ahmed, 18, was one of two people killed in a two-car collision near the intersection of Diffley Road…

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UPDATED: Victims in Fatal Crash Identified

Eagan police and fire units responded to an accident on the corner of Diffley Road and Amberleaf Trail just after 6 p.m. on Saturday evening.

Police have identified the victims in a fatal, two-car crash in Eagan on Saturday evening. Ahsim Ahmed Jr., 18, and Kelly Kristiansen, 42, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which took place at the intersection of Amberleaf Trail and Diffley Road, according to Eagan Police Department Sgt. Jennifer Wills. Both were Eagan residents. The Eagan Police and Fire Departments along with Health East Ambulance responded to the crash just after 6 p.m. on Saturday. The two victims were the only occupants of the vehicles, according to Eagan police. The Minnesota State Patrol is assisting in this investigation. No criminal charges have yet been filed at this time, according to police. Ahmed was a recent graduate from Eagan High School …

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David Henke

11:40 am on Monday, March 26, 2012

Christine~ Yes, we plan to follow up as soon as the Minnesota State Patrol completes its accident reconstruction and investigation.   more ›