09-20-1993 Planning PacketC - Laserfiche WebLink

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TRANSPORTATION.JUNE, 1980 ORONO'S TRAIL SYSTEM PROVIDES RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES AS KELL AS LOCAL TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES. As part of our recreation-open space plan. Orono is proposing an extensive road-side bike-hike trail linking the conmercial area of Navarre with Spring Park. Tonka Bay (and Excelsior) Wayzata, Long Lake and most of Orono’s urban neighborhoods. Besides offering walking and bicycle recreation, this trail system provides a.i excellent local alternative to auto travel between home and shopping or friends. In addition, the DNR's Luce Line Trail provides extended east-west linkage between several other cities and between several of Orono's north-south bike trails. Taken together, these trails provide a cohesive network of alternative local transportation routes. ORONO'S AIR TRANSPORTATION INVOLVEMENT IS LIMITED TO SEAPLANE OPERATION ON LONG LAKE AND LAKE MINNETONKA. Orono is not within any metropolitan airports search area and Orono is not within the normal landing or takeoff flight pattern of any regular airport. .Maple Plain has a small field south of that City used by private planes that may fly over north west Orono on one runway pattern, but there is no adverse effect from the current usage level and the location is such that there are no special land use or height restrictions necessary. All of Lake Minnetonka is open for sea plane usage except for the restricted bays of French Lake, Forest Lake and Tanager Lake. Sea plane usage has been generally very limited although the potential for conflicts on crowded bays does exist. The most crit.ical problem to date, however, has been one of noise associated with sea p.lane takeoffs at odd hours. This has been occasional enough so*as not to wai'rant any significant policy formation in this Plan. ROADWAY MAINTENANCE CONCERNS ARE PERHAPS THE MOST SIGNIEICANT FACTOR IN LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING FOR ORONO. Every level of government has been increasingly faced with skyrocketing road maintenance problems. Initial c o n n t r u c t i o n c o n t *3 a r o i cj n i f i c a n t , but t e m a i n t c n a n c c problem is never ending. Vehicle weights have been incrcasing , speed has been increasing, and winter safety solutions have caused rapid deterioration of roadway surfaces and bridges. At the same time, maintenance budgets are c -..aped by inflation, the rapidly r.ising cost of asphalt, and limit-d maintenance fund income. This crunch is most severe at the oca level where levy-limitations prevent the hiring o.f sufficient maintenance crews or the replacement of well-used equipment. Thus, the planning concerns for new roadways include not only the initial cost-benefit question, but also ‘■.he worry about spreading future main-enance capa i i y beyond the reach of limited crews or limited budgets. CMP 7-7