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X City of Arden Hills Page 7 of 63 October 7, 2022 1.0 INTRODUCTION This updated report was prepared for the portion of the original project area from Lake Valentine Rd. north to Lakeshore Pl., a length of around 6700 feet / 1.27 miles. Refer to Figure 1 in Appendix A. This updated report recommends that the proposed trail be located on the west side of the corridor. Refer to Section 4.0 Design Approach for more information. The Canadian Pacific railroad bridge crossing located north of County Rd. E is one portion of the proposed trail that has been constructed since publication of the original report, therefore no design recommendation is included in this updated report. 2.0 BACKGROUND A network of trails is needed to tie the City together. The remaining portion of the proposed Old Snelling Avenue / Old Highway 10 Trail improvements are identified in Chapter 9 of the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan, showing the City’s commitment to provid ing access and connectivity for non- motorized users through the south-central portion of the City. 3.0 DESIGN INFLUENCES 3.1 EXISTING TOPOGRAPHY The proposed trail corridor consists of a bituminous-paved roadway with paved and gravel shoulders and ditches on either side of the roadway embankment, with portions of the roadway containing bituminous or concrete curb and gutter with storm sewer. The surrounding areas are primarily residential and consist of single-family or multi-family dwellings. 3.2 DESIGN STANDARDS The primary design standards applicable to this study include the MnDOT Bicycle Facility Design Manual, which provides guidance on the critical design and planning elements to promote safety, efficiency, and mobility for travel of non-motorized users but of pedestrians and bicyclists in particular. Using the terminology in the MnDOT Bicycle Facility Design Manual, the facility under consideration here would be considered a sidepath, which is a type of shared use path, and the design standards presented herein are those for a sidepath. Due to safety concerns, an off-road shared use trail remains the preferred facility due to traffic volumes in the project vicinity, and there generally appears to be right-of-way available along the entire corridor within which there are no significant obstructions. The MnDOT Bicycle Facility Design Manual states that the minimum paved, operational width for a two-way sidepath is 10 feet, not including clearance distances, and that for short distances an eight-foot sidepath may be used.