Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 07/14/2011

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3. PROJECT INFORMATION Minnesota Department of Transportation SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL 2011 INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT APPLICATION SAFE e. d 3B. Describe the proposed infrastructure project and how it addresses the problems in question 3A. Provide information on the constructability of the infrastructure and provide any typical sections or plans if applicable. In order to provide a safe travel route for students walking and biking to PACT Charter School, this project seeks to construct a concrete sidewalk, six feet in width and approximately 1,000 feet in length, which will fill this major sidewalk gap located approximately 500 feet from the school's property. This new sidewalk will extend approximately 700 feet along the south side of Bunker Lake Boulevard NW/CSAH 116 and approximately 300 feet along the west side of Ramsey Boulevard NW/CSAH 56. As these are the only arterial roads near the school, there is no alternative trail route that will serve walking and biking needs as safely or efficiently. On both streets, there is sufficient existing public right-of-way to construct the new sidewalk entirely within the public right-of-way. The design of the sidewalk will be in compliance with MNDOT, CSAH and ADA standards. Project will be in compliance with NEPA with minor impacts to the environment. All construction will be within existing public right-of-way and no water resources will be impacted. The contract will include sediment control during construction and the street boulevard will be restored. The City of Ramsey and PACT Charter School are seeking a Safe Routes to School Grant for the costs of the sidewalk installation only. The City of Ramsey will be responsible for costs associated with design, preliminary engineering, construction administration, and grading for the project. This contribution is estimated to be $21,895above the grant amount requested. Since most of the residential areas within the two-mile radius of PACT Charter School are located north of the school, this project will fill a sidewalk gap that will be used by a large portion of the students walking or biking to the school. In addition to filling a major gap in the sidewalk system, this project will also provide a safer travel route to the Ramsey Blvd/Bunker Lake Blvd intersection and its traffic signal controlled crossings for walkers and bicyclists. In addition to designing and constructing the new sidewalk, the City of Ramsey will assume year-round maintenance of the new sidewalk. Maintenance responsibilities include providing snow removal during winter months. The City's policy is to have snow cleared before children make their way to school within a two-mile walking zone around each school. This sidewalk project is an example of the City's efforts to address the community's concems about the safety and convenience of walking and biking in the community. The City of Ramsey completed a community survey in 2002 that found an increasing interest in trail usage. This finding led to changes in the Transportation and Park & Recreation elements of the Comprehensive Plan which established policies to promote on -going sidewalk and trail system planning and implementation as an altemative transportation option. In 2007, the City was awarded a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota to conduct a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in conjunction with the City's 2008 update of its Comprehensive Plan. The HIA was completed in 2008 and the recommendations were used to develop many of the Goals and Strategies in the updated Comprehensive Plan in various chapters. A Housing Survey of residents was also recently completed and it found substantial support for increasing neighborhood walkability but concems about traffic speed and pedestrian safety were raised.