The City of Roseau and Houston Engineering, Inc. (HEI) recently collaborated to complete the final phase of a bike trail project aimed at providing local residents and visitors with an extensive non-motorized path around and throughout the City. The newest segment of trail runs approximately one mile in length, and, now connected with two existing trail segments, brings Roseau’s total network to over three full miles.
Early in the project, HEI’s Thief River Falls office dispatched its survey team to Roseau where they conducted strategic survey work of the trail corridor in order to ensure the trail blended together seamlessly with the City’s existing infrastructure and aesthetics.
Since the trails overlap with sidewalks and roadways for short lengths, allowing users to proceed directly through the City itself, HEI had to ensure the trail did not adversely affect traffic flow, utilities, and other issues. Natural drainage paths provided another challenge, one that the survey team helped resolve thanks to its detailed topographic survey. As a result, engineers were able to design the trail so that it had no impact on existing drainage.
Because the City had pre-purchased a tract of land for the trail, the survey crews also conducted legal survey work, helping define the exact boundaries through which the trail had to run.
Even though this was a local project, it came with several outside funding sources and greater design requirements including Roseau County, the Minnesota DNR, the Minnesota Department of Transportation
(MnDOT), and the Federal Highway Administration. The trail meets both federal and state standards and guidelines, such as those laid out by the Americans with Disabilities Act. A highway crossing near
the bustling Polaris Industries, Inc. also called for coordination with the MnDOT to ensure a safer trail crossing at the busy TH 89 location. Considering the state and federal interests, the project retained its local identity and kept within the City’s budget.
Now, with the entire project complete, residents and tourists are enjoying their new, beautiful pedestrian and bike trail during the brisk fall weather.
For more information about this project, please contact:
Jeff Langan, PE
jlangan@houstoneng.com