AGENDA ITEM 1A MEMORANDUM DATE: January 17, 2017 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers William S. Joynes, Sr., City Administrator Sue Polka, Interim Asst. Public Works Director/City Engineer Old Snelling Trail Project Background The City has an agreement with Bethel University to construct Old Snelling Trail from Bethel Drive to County Road E and County Road E from Old Snelling Avenue to Freeway Park by the end of 2018. On September 26, 2016, the City Council awarded a contract to Elfering & Associates for the preliminary trail design. Elfering has completed a survey, wetland delineations, preliminary design and a feasibility report for the Old Snelling Trail. Discussion The Old Snelling Trail Improvements project proposes the addition of 8-ft wide bituminous trails along the west side of Old Snelling Avenue N between Bethel Drive and County Road E and along the south side of County Road E between Old Snelling Avenue N and existing trail at Freeway Park (see Attachment A). The proposed trail section between Bethel Drive and 3641 Snelling Avenue N constructs the trail as close to the edge of the drive lane as possible to minimize wetland impacts. This construction will include the replacement of the existing curb and potentially 2 feet of the existing pavement. The proposed trail section along the open water body will require the construction of a retaining wall and fence. A boardwalk option was also considered, but in discussions with Ramsey County it was determined that the trail could be located within the existing right of way just behind the curb. The proposed trail section for the remaining portion of Old Snelling Avenue N and along County Road E includes a 5-ft to 6-ft boulevard between the existing curb and gutter and the 8-ft wide trail. The section also includes a 2-ft clear zone between the edge of the trail and the edge of the existing right-of-way. Ramsey County stated that the 5-ft to 6-ft boulevard is necessary except where the open water body and wetland impacts prevent it from being constructed. The Page 1 of 3
boulevard provides trail users a separation from vehicles, provides snow storage that minimizes maintenance time and costs for the City, and meets the Rice Creek Watershed District requirements for storm water runoff. Cross sections showing the trail sections with and without the boulevard are shown in Attachment B. Additional storm water facilities will be needed for the portion of the proposed trail that does not include a boulevard per Rice Creek Watershed District rules. Based on the amount of impervious surface being installed, a total storm water volume reduction of 782 cubic feet of storm water treatment will be needed. In discussion with representatives from Bethel University, it was determined that these facilities may be placed on University property with final approval from the University. Such facilities potentially include and are not limited to bio-filtration basins, rainwater gardens, filtration strips, and constructed wetlands. No additional traffic control will be needed at the intersections with the proposed crosswalks at this time. Since the number of future trail users is unknown, no traffic control changes are proposed for the 4-way stop at Old Snelling Avenue N and County Road E. Ramsey County said that a signal can be placed at Bethel Drive and Old Snelling Avenue N if it eventually meets the necessary warrants, but there is not funding for a signal at this time. The total cost for the project including construction fees, contingencies, and overhead is estimated to be $882,170. The funding breakdown for this project can be found in the feasibility report and is included below. Funding Source Cost Bethel University $ 800,000 Ramsey County $ 10, 820 Arden Hills $ 71,350 Property owners in the area were invited to an open house on January 5th to discuss view the preliminary trail layout and provide their comments. Two Bethel University representatives and four residents who live along Old Snelling Avenue attended. Of these four residents, three expressed concerns of having the trail located on their property and of the trail negatively affecting the landscape and vegetation of the area. One resident filled out a comment card in favor of the proposed trail and one additional property owner along Old Snelling Avenue sent an email in support of the trail. After the open house one of the attendees provided written comments which will be provided to Council at the work session. Proposed Schedule Completion of Preliminary Design January 2017 Council Approve Contract for Final Design February 2017 Conduct 2 nd Informational Meeting May 2017 Completion of Schedule 2 (Final Design) June 2017 Page 2 of 3
Council Approve Plans and Specifications/ Authorize Ad for Bid June 2017 Open Bids July 2017 Begin Construction August/September 2017 Completion of Schedule 3 (Construction) November 2017 Final Project Payment and Record Plans December 2017 Conclusion Staff will incorporate discussion items and provide a scope of work for completion of the project to be approved by Council at the February 13 th City Council meeting. ATTACHMENT A: Location map ATTACHMENT B: Typical Trail Sections Page 3 of 3
City of Arden Hills Attachment A Old Snelling Avenue North Trail Project - Location Map N Existing crosswalk el th Be Terminate trail at existing crossing point Bethel Railroad under-pass crossing (complete) Arden Oaks Arden Forest Glenarden Trail Connection Delineated Wetlands n Legend B Hwy E To S lling e Ard Connect to existing trail CO RD Sne lling Sne ewo od E Lake Johanna Ridg Siems Oak Pascal Striping realignment to avoid pond and wetland Hamline Connect to existing trail on either side of railroad under-pass Copyright: 2013 Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, TomTom, Source: Pedestrian Crossing Locations 8' Bituminous TrailEsri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, i-cubed, USDA, USGS, AEX, Getmapping, Roadway Alterations Existing Ponds Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Community