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I-694 NON-MOTORIZED CROSSING STUDY PAGE 1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW PURPOSE The I-694 Non Motorized Crossing Study was initiated to identify pedestrian and bicycle mobility needs across I-694 within Ramsey County and along this Interstate corridor. (Non-motorized travel is prohibited within the Interstate right-of-way by federal requirements.) The study area, shown in Figure 1, is bounded by Silver Lake Road in the west, Trunk Highway 120 / Century Avenue in the east, County Road 96 to the North, and County Road C to the South. MnDOT worked in partnership with Ramsey County to complete the study, with involvement of staff and local leaders from New Brighton, Arden Hills, Shoreview, Little Canada, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, Maplewood, North St. Paul, and the Metropolitan Council. The study aims to achieve the following objectives: • Document the existing network of pedestrian and bicycle facilities in the area (2014); • Document future plans or projects in the study area that provide opportunities to improve pedestrian and bicycle mobility; • Incorporate corridors identified as regional priorities by the Metropolitan Council’s Bicycle System Study (2014) and Transportation Policy Plan (2015); • Identify critical connections that should be preserved, maintained, added, or enhanced to ensure connectivity around and across I-694; • Provide recommendations that can be incorporated into Ramsey County’s pedestrian and bicycle plan; • Improve coordination among study area agencies, including MnDOT, Ramsey County, cities, and the Metropolitan Council, for trail, sidewalk, and bikeway improvements as future funding and project opportunities arise. BACKGROUND Interest in pedestrian and bicycle travel for recreation, routine trips, and commuting is growing within the Twin Cities region and Ramsey County. Area cities and the County have been actively planning and constructing improved trails, sidewalks, and on- street bikeways. However, despite the growing network of non motorized facilities in the area, I-694 is a barrier for pedestrian and bicycle mobility. Many existing crossings of I-694 carry high volumes of vehicular traffic and some lack adequate facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists. Crossings that do include a suitable trail or sidewalk may be too far out of the way for some users to be considered a convenient walking or biking route. The challenges of moving pedestrians and bicyclists across freeway corridors, as described above, are not unique to I-694 through Ramsey County. The need for a study in this particular location was identified in 2011 by the City of Arden Hills during the first phase of the development of MnDOT’s I-694 North Central Project. This large-scale construction project, shown in Figure 2, will eventually rebuild the I-694 Corridor between I-35E and I-35W. The first phase included rebuilding the I-694, Highway 10 and Highway 51 interchange in Arden Hills. The entire project will not be complete until at least 2016.