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Feasibility Report Page 12 Snelling Avenue North and County Road E - Street and Utility Improvements City Project Number PW 20-0100 Alternative 1 proposes to narrow the roadway from 40 feet to a width of 28 to 34 feet within the center section, install curb and storm sewer, and placement of the trail alignment directly adjacent to the west curb line in an attempt to minimize substantial tree removal, minimize large volumes of cut and fill grading, and avoid impacts to delineated wetlands. A similar trail alignment was used along Snelling Avenue to the north of County Road E. The advantages of Alternate 1 include completion of a segment of regional trail and providing a dedicated facility for pedestrian and bicycles along the road corridor currently posted at 40 mph. Pedestrians currently walk along the 8 -foot wide paved shoulder. The disadvantages of Alternate 1 include a substantial increase in project costs, increased scope and construction timeline for installation of curb and storm sewer, increased risk of encountering areas of soil contamination during storm sewer installation, and use of limited city funds compared to higher priority trail segments to the north of County Road E. Alternative 2 - FDR Pavement Replacement (no trail): This alternative consists of reclaiming the existing surface pavement by milling the bituminous pavement material and blending it with the upper portion of the underlying aggregate base, commonly referred to as full depth reclamation (FDR). Approximately 4-inches of reclaimed material would then be removed to maintain the existing vertical profile of the road, and a new 4-inch thick bituminous pavement section would be placed to the existing 40-feet road width, including two 12-foot travel lines and two 8-foot wide paved shoulders. Edge line pavement markings would be installed to delineate the pavement shoulders. A schematic layout of the proposed roadway and trail improvements for Alternative 2 is provided in Appendix H. The advantages of Alternate 2 include a shorter construction timeline, lower project costs, focus of limited capital funds for trail segments north of County Road E, and reduced risk of encountering contaminated soil conditions. The disadvantages of Alternative 2 would include maintaining the current condition where bicyclists and pedestrians continue to use the 8-ft wide paved shoulders without the benefit of a dedicated multiuse trail facility south of County Road E. Council Consideration: The City Council reviewed the two roadway alternatives described above during two work sessions on July 20, 2020 and December 21, 2020. The Council discussed the cost differential between the two alternatives in relation to the City’s limited availability of capital improvement funds. The Council also discussed the higher priority currently placed on recreational trail segments along Snelling Avenue North from County Road E2 to Lake Valentine Road and the connection to Mounds View High School. While not ideal, the roadway south of County Road E does have 8-foot wide shoulders to provide some accommodation for pedestrians and bicyclist.