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Lake Johanna Boulevard <br />Trail Design Study <br />Preliminary Design Development Report 3 September 27, 2022 <br />Project Summary / Background <br />This report provides a summary of the Lake Johanna Boulevard Trail Design Study activities between August 2021 <br />and August 2022. The purpose of this design study, led by Ramsey County, is to develop conceptual trail designs <br />for the Lake Johanna Boulevard corridor, which runs along the west and north sides of Lake Johanna from the <br />intersection of County Road D and Fairview Avenue to the intersection of County Road E and Old Snelling Avenue <br />in Arden Hills (see Figure 1). <br />The Lake Johanna Boulevard corridor includes long segments with a relatively narrow “buildable” cross-section due <br />to steep topography adjacent to the lake. The minimal available buildable space has been a major impediment to <br />the completion of a pedestrian and bicycle facility along this corridor. The desire for a safe and efficient mixed-use <br />trail in this corridor has been strongly expressed by the City of Arden Hills and would also likely be heavily utilized <br />by the larger community (New Brighton, Roseville, etc.) as it would tie into existing trail infrastructure including the <br />Elmer Anderson Trail and existing trails at the eastern terminus of the project. This study explores options to <br />construct a trail facility given sound engineering, budget constraints and the existing constraints of the corridor. <br /> <br />A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) was formed for this study and includes representatives from: <br />x Ramsey County Public Works (Scott Mareck) <br />x Ramsey County Parks and Recreation (Scott Yonke) <br />x City of Arden Hills (David Swearingen) <br />x Active Living Ramsey Communities (Connie Bernardy, Rich Straumann, Gene Gjerdingen) <br />The TAC met four times throughout the course of the study and helped inform the development of alternatives <br />and organization of the public engagement process. In addition to the four meetings, the project team completed <br />a field walk with TAC members in the fall of 2021 to better understand the existing constraints and opportunities <br />located along the corridor. <br />Study Process <br />The following is a synopsis of the study process that was utilized to identify, test and develop recommendations for <br />future trail improvements within the corridor. <br />1. Collect data and analyze existing conditions on a variety of corridor needs, including: <br />a. Roadway traffic. <br />b. Parking. <br />c. Utilities. <br />d. Pedestrian and cyclist experience. <br />e. Natural environment (trees, lakefront, etc.) <br />f. Private property. <br />g. Public services (mail, snow removal operations, trash collection, emergency response). <br />2. Develop and implement a public engagement process to introduce the project, gather feedback and solicit <br />input from the community about their ideas for the corridor. The engagement process will assist the TAC <br />and design team with understanding the relationship/importance of corridor needs from the community <br />perspective. <br />3. Develop draft conceptual designs, share them with the TAC and community and gather their feedback on <br />what they like and dislike about each concept. <br />4. Revise the draft conceptual designs based on feedback from the TAC, community and elected officials. <br />5. Share the revised designs with the public and gather their feedback. <br />6. Prepare the layout of the revised designs and a corridor study report outlining the process, engagement <br />feedback and design elements.