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County Road E Trail Improvements October 6, 2004 Page 3 Ramsey County Traffic Engineer, and Undersheriff George Altendorfer concur that the proposed improvement to the County Road E bridge would allow for safer movement of pedestrians and bicyclists, regardless of plans for a sidewalk. Mr. Altendorfer indicated that the County is concerned over the safe passage for pedestrians based on the number of Mounds View High School and Bethel University students who walk across the bridge. The City has received requests to provide safe facilities for pedestrians and cyclists along Lake Johanna Boulevard and Old Highway 10. Both of these roadways are also owned by Ramsey County. Sidewalk or trail improvements along Lake Johanna Boulevard are constrained by limited right-of-way and the lack of curb and gutter along the roadway to provide a safe separation for pedestrians and vehicles. Old Highway 10 includes several areas of steep slopes and also lacks curb and gutter to provide a safe separation for pedestrians and vehicles. In addition, the existing CP Rail bridge provides a significant obstacle to a separate trail or sidewalk along Old Highway 10. Staff has investigated the feasibility of improvements to the CP Rail bridge and has determined that the bridge condition is too poor to make modifications necessary for a sidewalk improvement. The City has relayed this concern to CP Rail and Ramsey County officials. City staff is aware of the concerns for safer walking facilities in both of these areas and will pursue potential improvement opportunities as they arise. Feasibility Study On January 26, 2004, the Arden Hills City Council authorized the preparation of a feasibility study for pedestrian improvements along County Road E, between the TH 51 bridge and Old Highway 10. The feasibility report was presented to the Council on March 8, 2004. The report outlined three options for providing additional bridge width. Option A proposed to reconfigure the lane width and spacing of the roadway to create a 6.5-foot wide sidewalk along one side of the bridge without expanding the width of the existing bridge. The estimated cost of Option A was $60,000. Option B proposed extending the deck support along the southern side of the bridge as well as narrowing the lane widths to facilitate the construction of a 7.5-foot wide sidewalk along one side of the bridge. The estimated cost of Option B was $80,000. Option C proposed a 10-foot wide sidewalk that would require the construction of a parallel beam across TH 51 to widen the bridge deck. In this option, the roadway would remain the same, only one side of the bridge extended for sidewalk construction. Option C would allow for the construction of an interior rail/buffer between the sidewalk and the traffic lanes for additional level of safety. The estimated cost of Option C was $200,000. Several options were also presented to Council concerning additional bridge enhancement options, such as ornamental railing, decorative surface treatments and lighting.