Agenda - Council - 03/25/2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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RESPONSE: The three mile extension of the Mississippi River Trail will provide a bicycle and pedestrian facility in a major transportation corridor that currently has no bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Bicycle or pedestrian travel on U.S. Highway 10/169 would be completely unsafe. Today, bicyclists and pedestrians travelling through the City of Ramsey are forced to travel significantly north of the U.S. Highway 10/169 corridor to access an east -west non - motorized trail. This trail project will provide a convenient connection for bicyclists and pedestrians to get to the City of Ramsey's emerging downtown area, including The COR mixed -use district, the future pedestrian bridge over U.S. Highway 10/169, future Northstar Commuter Rail transit station (funded for 2012), Ramsey Municipal Center, Ramsey Municipal Parking Ramp, the U.S. Highway 10/169 commercial district, and the City's largest employment district (east of Ramsey Boulevard/CSAH 56). Further, bile lockers are already in place in Ramsey's parking ramp (together with FREE to use public bicycles also at the ramp), with bike lockers also funded for the Regional Park and trail to the east of this project. ■ How will the project benefit multiple modes of transportation? An example of a project that would do this would be a bicycle facility that connects to a transit center or a mixed -use pedestrian -oriented district, or a pedestrian project that is a component of a transit -oriented development. RESPONSE: This trail project will benefit multiple modes of transportation, including walking, bicycling and transit. In conjunction with the future pedestrian bridge over U.S. Highway 10/169, this trail will provide a direct connection to the funded for 2012 Northstar Commuter Rail transit station, Ramsey Municipal Parking Ramp, The COR mixed -use pedestrian oriented downtown district, and the City's largest employment district. (If pedestrian overpass were not in place by the time this project would be constructed, users could still access these facilities via the existing concrete sidewalks and bike lanes at the signalized Ramsey Boulevard, CSAH #56.) The fully funded 2013 completion of a trail into the City of Anoka will also enable residents to reach transit stops which are part of the Metro Transit bus system. ■ How does the facility serve trips that could otherwise be made by motor vehicles? RESPONSE: U.S. Highway 10/169 is a high -traffic principal arterial highway that is projected to attain significantly higher traffic levels over the next 20 years. With the emerging mixed -use district, the City's largest employment district, and the 2012 Northstar Commuter Rail transit station located on the north side of U.S. Highway 10/169, there is significant opportunity to shift some of this growing automobile highway traffic to pedestrian and bicycle trips on the Mississippi River Trail. In particular, there is the potential to increase the number of short -distance commuters between Ramsey and Anoka when the workforce realizes the time to bicycle commute is a convenient alternative (and more economical, as well as quicker during periods of the rush-hour traffic on U.S. Highway 10/169). 5. Development Framework (100 points) • If the project is a trail project, does it help to connect to or complete the Metropolitan Council's Regional Trail network? How so? If the project is on part of the Regional Trail system, it must be identified in a Metropolitan Council -approved master plan. 23