I have recieved a number of questions regarding the Cedar Lake Trail (Phase 3) from Royalston Avenue to West River Parkway due to the recent article in the Skyway News. http://www.skywaynews.net/display/inn_news/news01.txt A map of the project area can be found on Page 9 of this weeks edition.
The project is scheduled for 2005 construction. Some elements of the project along 4th Avenue North (such as improvements to the 4th Avenue RR Bridge between 1st Street North and 2nd Street North) may be completed earlier. $2.1 million in federal TEA-21 funds has been appropriated to complete this link. There is also a local match requirement, which has been programmed into the City of Minneapolis Public Works CIP. Alignment #1 listed below is the currently funded alternative. Back in 2001, Minneapolis Public Works prepared a TEA-21 application for federal funding for the Cedar Lake Trail (Phase 3). Before the application was submitted, several Council Members, the Park Board Commissioner from this district, and the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee discussed two different alternatives, Alignment #1 and Alignment #2. Opportunities and constraints for both alignments are presented below: Alignment #1 (the North Loop Alignment) takes trail users out of the BNSF corridor at Washington Avenue and directs them to 4th Avenue North and connects up to West River Parkway with at-grade crossings at 2nd Street North, 1st Street North and West River Parkway. Opportunities for Alignment #1 * Federal funds have been secured for this alignment. * The Washington Avenue Bridge has been recently built to include a bikeway on the south side. The western most portal underneath the bridge has been reserved for a bicycle trail. * The trail alignment has already been designed. * Serves growing number of North Loop residents. * Temporary on-street bike routes (signage) has been implemented until the trail is constructed. * The trail along 4th Avenue North (From 2nd Street North to West River Road) may be constructed before 2005 as part of new developments in that corridor. * Bridge Department is upgrading the 4th Avenue N RR bridge in 2003. * Constraints for Alignment #1 * The ramp underneath the Washington Avenue bridge (on the west side of the bridge) is expected to cost approximately a million dollars to construct. The federal contribution will take care of 80% of this cost. * Portions of the trail may need to be reconstructed to accomodate a possible future LRT route and the North Star Commuter Rail route. * Parking would be lost on one side of 4th Ave North since the trail requires the street width to be reduced. Alignment #2 (the RR Alignment) would keep trail users in the BNSF corridor to West River Parkway with access to Washington Avenue. Opportunities for Alignment #2 * It is a faster and safer route to West River Road from a transportation perspective. However, access to downtown would not be enhanced. * A 12' minimum width trail appears to fit underneath the Washington Avenue Bridge, the 2nd Street Bridge and the 1st Street Bridge. * HCRRA owns much of the land from 2nd Street North to West River Road. Constraints for Alignment #2 * An agreement with BNSF and Best Price (Colonial Warehouse Parking) must be negotiated and executed to acquire needed trail right-of-way. This process would take approximately 6 months to one year. Best Price (Colonial Warehouse) has significant concerns about losing their existing parking. Replacing the Colonial Warehouse parking could get very expensive. * Hennepin County has already invested $300,000 widening the Washington Avenue bridge to accommodate bicycle traffic. * There is no good access to the river. A cut through the retaining wall along West River Road, a bridge over West River Road, or a diversion through the Federal Reserve Bank Property would need to be made to accomodate trail users. The Bank Property contains a landscaped sculpture park and is fenced in. The fence is often locked. Security on bank property is a concern; especially after the events of 9/11/01. Cuting a hole through the retaining wall presents visibility problems at West River Road. The bridge is the safest but most expensive alternative. * Retaining Walls are expected to be placed between the 1st Street Bridge and the 2nd Street Bridge since there may be unstable slopes. Retaining walls are expensive and may present design challenges. * There are utility cables in this area. Some utilities may have to be moved. * Property still need to be acquired and parking issues need to be resolved. * Additional money would need to be spent to design this alignment. * Portions of the trail may need to be reconstructed to accomodate a possible future LRT route and the North Star Commuter Rail route. * This alignment may not qualify for federal funding now that the other alignment funding has been secured. * This alignment was previously reviewed and not selected by the city two years ago. * The bridge option over West River Road will change the appearance of the West River Park. Trees and green space may be lost. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board would need to approve this concept. To better the city's chances of obtaining federal money for this project, it was decided that the most feasible alignment would be pursued. When design costs, retaining wall costs, property acquisition costs, and RR issues were compared for both alignments it was apparent that the North Loop Alignment was more feasible. In addition to cost; community input, safety, convenience, mass transit ramifications, and trail accessibility factored into this decision. Staff presented a federal funding request for the North Loop Alignment to the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor, which was approved before the TEA-21 application was turned in. The Cedar Lake Trail (Phase 3) was one of three projects that were selected in 2001 for funding (out of 24 applications region-wide) in the STP bike/walk TEA-21 category. If anyone has additional questions regrading this project please call me at 612-673-2411. Thank You Donald Pflaum City of Minneapolis Public Works 350 South 5th Street - Room 233 City Hall Minneapolis, MN 55415-1314 TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. 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