4E, Design Variance for CP Rail Underpass Trail

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_ .. _..... _ ��i EN HILLS MEMORANDUM DATE: November 30, 2009 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members Ron Moorse, City Administrator FROM: Kristine Giga, Civil Engineer Michelle Olson, Parks and Recreation Manager SUBJECT o Resolution Requesting Design Variance for CP Rail Underpass Trail B ack�round/Discussion At the October Work Session, the City Council received an update on the CP Rail Trail Underpass Proj ect. Bolton & Menk, Inc. reviewed the underpass design that has been completed to date. One aspect of the design that was discussed with Council was the width of the trail compared to the width available between the bridge abutment and the proposed retaining wall. The proposed trail width is eight feet. Mn/DOT design standards require a two-foot clear zone on either side of a trail, which would require a total width of twelve (12) feet under the bridge. However, there will only be an eight (8) foot space between the proposed retaining wall and bridge abutment. Therefore, the available spacing inhibits the construction of 2 foot shoulder/clear zones on each side of the trail. The City Council has indicated that a possible source of funding for this proj ect is Municipal State Aid Funds. In order to utilize these funds, minimum design standards must be met, or a design variance must be granted. Bolton and Menk, Inc. contacted Mn/DOT State Aid, and confirmed that a design variance would be needed for the narrower clear zone under the bridge. The Variance Committee meets on a quarterly basis; the next meeting is December 17, 2009. Variance requests must be submitted by December l, 2009. Staff understands that the funding sources for the CP Rail underpass have not been finalized and that the proj ect may be funded with sources other than State Aid. However, staff recommends applying for the design variance at this time, in the event that State Aid funds are used, to keep the proj ect schedule moving forward. Receiving a variance from State Aid does not bind the City to using State Aid funds on this proj ect. City Council Meeting \�1Vletro-inet.us\ardenhills�PR&PW�Engineering\Council_Actions�2009\11-30- 09Memo CPRaiI Variance.doc Page 1 of 2