8.1 PRSR 01-15-2020
The Elk River Vision
A welcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional
service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires prosperity
Request for Action
To
Parks and Recreation Commission
Item Number
8.1
Agenda Section
Action Item
Meeting Date
October 9, 2019
Prepared by
Michael Hecker, Parks and Recreation Director
Item Description
Trail Condition Assessment
Reviewed by
Jenna Fabish, Assistant City Engineer
Reviewed by
Cal Portner, City Administrator
Action Requested
Discussion
Background/Discussion
The Parks and Recreation Commission discussed the need for a sustainable funding source for trails at
the October 9, 2019, meeting. The Active Elk River Project includes $2 million in funding for identified
trail connections; however, there are approximately 25 miles of existing trails in varying conditions
throughout the city that need attention. Staff has been working on ideas to identify the conditions of
existing trails so that a trail pavement improvement program may be developed for long-term
maintenance.
Staff recently learned about the Parks and Trail Council of Minnesota’s (PTC) research bicycle. The
research bike is an electric bike that has the capability to record a 360-degree view of the trail segment,
take photos of the trail pavement and record the condition of the trail. The information is analyzed by
PTC staff and documenting the condition of each trail segment in a report. The report includes the
condition of the trail as well as photos of the trail pavement. The images from the 360-degree camera can
be uploaded to Google Earth.
Financial Impact
An evaluation of the city’s trail system using the research bicycle is estimated to cost $8,925. Costs were
not budgeted for 2020. Staff recommends Commission consideration this summer along with the Park
Improvement Fund.
Attachments
Proposal for Professional Services for Elk River Trail Condition Report
Research Bike Examples
All the data in the 2018-2019 State of the Trails Report was collected
by the , a Stromer ST2 electric-assist bicycle
equipped with sensors and multiple cameras to collect data on trail
conditions. The Research Bike logged 1,355 trail miles between July and
September of 2018 and collected three types of data: 39,726 panoramic
photos published on Google Map’s Street View app; a comprehensive
database of 65,834 trail condition photos available on our website; and
532,912 accelerometer data points that indicate how rough (or smooth)
each mile of state trail is to ride.
1
3
2
An Insta360 One camera
mounted above the rider’s
head takes 360° photos for
Google Street View.
The SensorLog app on
an iPhone SE records
accelerometer data used to
rate trail roughness.
A rear-facing GoPro Hero 5
camera takes up-close,
geo-located photos of
trail conditions.
1 32
About the Research Bike
i STATE of the TRAILS
1PARKS & TRAILS COUNCIL of MINNESOTA
Executive Summary
Key Findings:
See pages 4-29 and Appendix B for details
•Minnesota’s paved state trail system is in good
condition. Our inventory found 75% of paved
state trail miles are in either excellent or good
condition.
•Only 32 miles – 6% of the system – are in poor
or very poor condition. The remaining 20% of
the system – 121 miles – are in fair condition.
•However, conditions declined since our 2016
State of the Trails Report. If current trends
continue, we project the share of the paved
state trail system in excellent or good condition
will fall to 70% by 2023 and 50% by 2030.
Recommendations:
See pages 30-33 for details
•Maintain a “25-50-25” surface standard for the
state trail system, where the goal is to keep
25% of the system’s trail surfaces in excellent
condition, 50% in good condition, and the
remaining 25% in fair condition.
•Rehabilitate an average of 24 state trail miles
per year, which is the pace needed to maintain
the state trail system at a “25-50-25” standard.
•Fund state trail rehabilitation at needed levels
– approximately $4.8 million per year, not
including bridges and culverts – through a mix
of bonding appropriations, Legacy funds, and
LCCMR funds.
Methodology:
See pages 2-3 and Appendix A for details
•We rated the surface conditions of Minnesota’s
paved state trail system using a metric called
the “Trail Roughness Index,” which measures
how smooth or rough a trail is to ride.
•We took approximately 100,000 photos of the
paved state trail system to verify ratings and
illustrate conditions.
•All of our data was collected using the Research
Bike, an electric-assist bicycle equipped with
cameras and sensors. In addition to rating trail
conditions, we used the Research Bike to put
Minnesota’s State Trails on Google Street View.
Why Trails are Important:
Trails are community assets that make Minnesota
a better place to live, work, and visit. Trails connect
people and communities to the outdoors, improve
health by encouraging physical activity, boost
tourism and spending at local businesses, enhance
safety, protect ecosystems and wildlife corridors,
and are fun for people of all ages, means, and
abilities. The State of the Trails Project aims to
provide trail managers and lawmakers with the
data they need to ensure all Minnesotans, both
now and in the future, have access to smooth, safe,
and enjoyable trails.
2 STATE of the TRAILS
How We Calculate Our Ratings
Our trail condition ratings are based on the premise
that trails in excellent condition are smooth to ride
and trails in poor condition are rough to ride. We
measure how rough each trail is to ride using a metric
called the “Trail Roughness Index”, or “TRI” for short.
We created the TRI in 2016 as a method to objectively
rate the condition of paved bike trails. We updated our
methodology in 2018 to improve reliability and validity.
Trail Roughness Index is measured by riding a trail with
a device called an accelerometer mounted on the bike’s
handle bars. When the bicyclist hits a crack or bump in
the trail, the accelerometer measures the force of the
jolt felt by the bicyclist. The TRI is a statistical summary
of the accelerometer data that indicates the roughness
of the ride. Low TRI scores indicate trails in excellent
condition (TRI < 30) and high TRI scores indicate trails
in very poor condition (TRI > 75).
We used TRI scores to rate the condition of Minnesota’s
paved state trail system on a segment-by-segment
basis. Additionally, we assigned each trail an overall
grade using a scale where “excellent” is equal to an “A”
and “very poor” is equal to an “F”. The overall trail grade
represents the condition of the trail’s average mile.
All of our data was collected by a Parks & Trails Council
intern. The intern rode nearly 600 miles of the paved
state trail system on the Research Bike, an electric-
assist bicycle equipped with cameras and sensors. All
data was collected during the summer and fall of 2018.
Our TRI scores are supplemented with photos taken
during the data collection process. Photos were used
to verify condition classifications and are helpful to
visualize on-the-ground conditions. See Appendix A
and Appendix C for more details on our methodology.
How the Trail Roughness Index Works
g-force on
vertical (Z) axis:
When a bicycle rides
along a smooth trail, the
accelerometer shows a
relatively �lat line.
As trails age, bumps and cracks start to
form in the pavement. The accelerometer
records these imperfections when the
bicycle rides over them.
When a trail is nearing the end of its
useful life, bumps and cracks are
prevalent. Accelerometer readings on
such trails show a rocky, jagged line.
Each “spike” on the accelerometer graph indicates a bump on the trail
The Trail Roughness Index (TRI) measures the variation in g-forces felt by a bicyclist riding
on a trail. The g-force is measured by an accelerometer in a bicycle-mounted iPhone and is
recorded by an iPhone app.
3PARKS & TRAILS COUNCIL of MINNESOTA
What our Ratings Don’t Measure
TrailheadsBridges & Culverts
Routine Maintenance
Our ratings only answer a simple question: How smooth are Minnesota’s
State Trails to ride? While we use this question as a proxy for the overall
condition of each trail, there are several components of a safe, well-
maintained trail system that our ratings don’t capture. Our ratings do
not consider the integrity of trail bridges, culverts or the underlying
trail foundation. Our ratings do not consider the condition of
parking areas, interpretive displays or signage. And our ratings
only consider day-to-day upkeep to the extent it impacts the
smoothness of the ride (e.g., debris on an unswept trail is
rougher to ride than a freshly swept trail). See Appendix A for
more details on project scope and limitations.
How to Understand Our Ratings
Trail feels like new and
provides near-ideal
conditions for bicyclists
and inline skaters. Small
blemishes and crack
sealing may be present
in isolated areas but do
not negatively impact
user experience.
Trail o�fers a
comfortable ride for
bicyclists and inline
skaters, with infrequent
bumps and depressions.
Trail may require minor
rehabilitation and crack
sealing in isolated areas.
Trail has intermittent
bumps and depressions,
but is tolerable to ride
for the majority of
bicyclists. Some sections
may be di�ficult for
inline skaters. Trail may
require moderate
rehabilitation and crack
sealing in several areas.
Trail has frequent
bumps and depressions
and is uncomfortable to
ride for bicyclists. Many
sections may be di�ficult
for inline skaters. Trail is
at the end of its life and
requires major
rehabilitation.
Trail is in complete
disrepair with very
frequent bumps and
depressions. Trail may
be suitable only for
mountain and fat-tire
biking. Trail is past its
useful life and likely
needs to be entirely
rebuilt.
Good Fair Poor Very Poor
TRI 30-45 TRI 45-60 TRI 60-75 TRI >75
Excellent
TRI < 30
4 STATE of the TRAILS
Key Findings
Minnesota’s paved state trails are still in good condition,
but conditions declined since our 2016 report.
If current rehabilitation
trends continue, state trail
conditions are projected
to steadily decline.
Projected share of state trail system in good or excellent condition:
2016 2018 2022 2026 2030 2034
79%75%70%
60%
50%49%
Projected
21%
Excellent
Condition
54%
Good
Condition
20%
Fair
Condition
4%
Poor
Condition
2%
Very Poor
Condition
2018 State Trail Conditions:
150
miles
123
miles
319
miles
324
miles
90
miles
121
miles
19
miles
22
miles
2016 2018 2016 2018 2016 2018 2016 2018 2016 2018
7
miles
10
miles
Comparison to 2016:
5PARKS & TRAILS COUNCIL of MINNESOTA
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
5
4
3
2 1
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
Map Key:
NEWLY OPENED Smooth Miles (since 2016)
Douglas State Trail 2 miles between Douglas and Pine Island (Rehabilitation)
Shooting Star State Trail 3 miles between Rose Creek and Austin (New)
Glacial Lakes State Trail 6 miles between Willmar and Spicer (Rehabilitation)
Root River State Trail 5 miles between Peterson and Rushford (Rehabilitation)
Munger State Trail 7 miles between Carlton and Duluth (Rehabiltation)
Gitchi Gami State Trail 1 mile between Beaver Bay and Silver Bay (New)
Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail 7 miles between Madison Lake and Elysian (Rehabilitation)
TOP TEN Roughest Miles
Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail
5 miles between Elysian and Waterford
Minnesota Valley State Trail
3 miles between Chaska and Shakopee
Paul Bunyan State Trail
1 mile between Pine River and Backus
Munger State Trail
1 mile between Carlton and Duluth
Brown's Creek (p. 10)A
Luce Line (p. 22)B+
Root River (p. 27)B+
Glacial Lakes (p. 17)B
Cuyuna Lakes (p. 13)B
Douglas (p. 14)B
Goodhue Pioneer (p. 18)B
Gitchi Gami (p. 16)B
Preston Forestville (p. 20)B
Great River Ridge (p. 19)B-
Paul Bunyan (p. 26)B-
Shooting Star (p. 29)B-
Central Lakes (p. 12)B-
Heartland (p. 21)B-
Sakatah Singing Hills (p. 28)B-
Blazing Star (p. 9)C+
Harmony Preston (p. 20)C+
Munger (p. 25)C+
Minnesota Valley (p. 24)C+
Casey Jones (p. 11)C+
Mill Towns (p. 23)C
Gateway (p. 15)C
Alex Laveau (p. 8)C
Report Card
1
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
13PARKS & TRAILS COUNCIL of MINNESOTA
Gateway State Trail
Trail Map of Conditions
Brown’s Creek
State Trail
Stillwater
St. Paul
White Bear
Lake
Maplewood
Pine
Springs
Pine Point Park
Lake
Elmo
Oakdale
4 miles
C 5 miles
6 miles
2 miles
4 miles
Very Poor
Good
Fair
Excellent
Poor
Miles by Condition:Overall Grade:
Total length: 17 miles
Constructed: 1991, 2000,
2002, 2006, 2007, 2010
20 STATE of the TRAILS
Luce Line State Trail
Trail Map of Conditions
Hutchinson
Silver Lake
Winsted
5 miles
B+8 miles
13 miles
Very Poor
Good
Fair
Excellent
Poor
Miles by Condition:Overall Grade:
Total length: 21 miles
Constructed: 2015
22 STATE of the TRAILS
Minnesota Valley State Trail
Trail Map of Conditions
3 miles
ShakopeeChaska
Bloomington
Eden Prairie
Savage
Minnesota Valley
State Recreation Area
C+
3 miles
3 miles
1 mile
4 miles
Very Poor
Good
Fair
Excellent
Poor
Miles by Condition:Overall Grade:
Total length: 11 miles
Constructed: 1985, 1998,
2012, 2014
38 STATE of the TRAILS
Photos of each segment available at www.parksandtrails.org Miles Rating TRI 95% C.I.Change Accelerometer
Cuyuna Lakes State Trail
1. Brainerd Segment 1.58 NA
2. Riverton Trailhead to Loon Lane 1.45 Good 35.1 30 - 40.1
3. Loon Lane to Cuyuna Parking Lot 1.74 Good 39.9 36.7 - 43.1
4. Cuyuna Parking Lot to Irene Ave (Ironton)0.62 Good 42.1 40.2 - 43.9
5. Irene Ave (Ironton) to Hwy 6 (Crosby Parking Area)1.43 Good 42.2 41.6 - 42.6
6. Hwy 6 (Crosby Parking Area) to Cuyuna Road (Co Rd 31)1.31 Excellent 29.1 26.2 - 31.8
7. Aitkin Segment 0.86 NA
Douglas State Trail
1. Valleyhigh Dr to W Circle Dr 1.08 Good 44.8 35.7 - 53.8
2. W Circile Dr to 50th Ave 0.94 Good 43.1 36.4 - 63.4
3. 50th Ave to 65th St NW 1.43 Good 36.6 35.5 - 37.5
4. 65th St NE to Douglas (75th St NW Parking Lot)1.12 Good 38.6 22.8 - 54.3
5. Douglas (75th St NW Parking Lot) to 90th St NW 1.91 Excellent 29.5 23.5 - 35.3
6. 90th St NW to Plum Creek Bridge 0.86 Good 35.9 33.6 - 38.2
7. Plum Creek Bridge to New Haven Rd 1.02 Good 45.0 44.7 - 45.1
8. New Haven Rd to 117th St NW 1.28 Good 38.9 32.8 - 44.9
9. 117th St NW to 85th Ave NW 1.00 Good 32.5 23.1 - 35.5
10. 85th Ave NW to 8th St SE 1.33 Good 43.3 22.9 - 63.5
11. 8th St SE to Pine Island Trailhead 0.75 Good 44.9 31.9 - 57.9
Gateway State Trail
1. Arlington Ave to Larpenter Ave 0.60 Poor 70.5 59.4 - 81.6
2. Larpenter Ave to Hwy 61 Underpass 0.80 Poor 62.7 51.4 - 73.8
3. Hwy 61 Underpass to Bruce Vento Trail Junction 1.10 Fair 59.4 49.9 - 68.8
4. Bruce Vento Trail Junction to White Bear Ave Bridge 1.00 Fair 58.2 50.3 - 66.1
5. White Bear Ave Bridge to McKnight Rd Bridge 1.10 Poor 60.1 55.1 - 65
6. McKnight Rd Bridge to Century Ave 1.30 Fair 45.6 41.6 - 49.4
7. Century Ave to 55th St Parking Lot 1.30 Poor 72.9 59.7 - 86
8. 55th St Parking Lot to Hwy 36 tunnel 1.20 Fair 53.0 40.2 - 65.6
9. Hwy 36 tunnel to Co Rd 12 tunnel 1.80 Fair 47.1 41.9 - 52.2
10. Co Rd 12 tunnel to Duluth Junction 1.90 Good 30.2 21.9 - 38.4
11. Duluth Jct to Lansing Ave 1.70 Good 31.1 21.4 - 40.7
12. Lansing Ave to Manning Ave 0.90 Excellent 29.5 24.4 - 34.5
13. Manning Ave to Myeron Rd 1.00 Good 32.1 19.2 - 45
14. Myeron Rd to Pine Point County Park 0.80 Excellent 22.9 20 - 25.7
Gitchi Gami State Trail
1. Silver Creek Segment 0.53 Good 39.2 37.4 - 40.9
2. Gooseberry SP Campground to Campground Road 0.99 Good 32.1 29.7 - 34.4
42 STATE of the TRAILS
Photos of each segment available at www.parksandtrails.org Miles Rating TRI 95% C.I.Change Accelerometer
Heartland State Trail, con’t
35. 148th St NW to 152nd St NW 1.00 Good 43.1 31.8 - 77.7
36. 152nd St NW to Nary Rd 1.06 Fair 55.2 54.3 - 55.9
37. Nary Rd to Railroad St (City of Cass Lake)0.79 Fair 56.9 54.1 - 59.5
Luce Line State Trail
1. Vale Ave to MnDNR office 1.16 Good 34.3 26.7 - 41.8
2. MnDNR office to Les Koubla Parkway 1.15 Excellent 29.6 27.5 - 35.9
3. Les Koubla Parkway to Hwy 15 Tunnel 1.02 Good 33.5 26.1 - 40.8
4. Hwy 15 Tunnel to Michigan St 0.96 Good 34.6 31.1 - 38.1
5. Michigan St to Hwy 22 Bridge 1.00 Excellent 28.8 25.3 - 39.4
6. Hwy 22 Bridge to Hwy 7 Tunnel 0.66 Good 35.8 32.6 - 38.9
7. Hwy 7 Tunnel to Major Ave 2.26 Excellent 28.9 28.3 - 29.3
8. Major Ave to Co Rd 71 1.00 Excellent 25.1 23.9 - 26.1
9. Co Rd 71 to Kale Ave 1.01 Excellent 23.9 22.4 - 25.3
10. Kale Ave to Molly’s Cafe (Silver Lake)1.61 Excellent 28.7 27.1 - 30.1
11. Molly’s Cafe (Silver Lake) to County Rd 2 1.01 Excellent 24.7 22.7 - 26.6
12. County Rd 2 to Bridge over Otter Creek 0.87 Good 30.8 28 - 33.4
13. Otter Creek to Garden Ave 0.89 Good 34.7 29.5 - 39.7
14. Garden Ave to Eagle Ave 2.85 Excellent 24.7 19.5 - 29.8
15. Eagle Ave to Dairy Ave 1.01 Excellent 24.2 21.9 - 26.4
16. Dairy Ave to Cable Ave (Winsted Municipal Airport)1.16 Good 34.1 33.6 - 34.5
17. Kingsley St (Winsted) to Zion Ave 0.97 Good 33.6 25.9 - 41.3
18. Zion Ave to Zebra Ave 0.65 Good 36.2 32.6 - 39.8
Minnesota Valley State Trail
1. Hwy 41 Bridge to Old Trail Jct 1.14 Good 32.6 28.6 - 36.5
2. Old Trail Jct. to Jordan Brewery ruins 1.24 Very Poor 85.1 79.3 - 90.8
3. Jordan Brewery ruins to Hwy 101 1.77 Very Poor 76.9 74.5 - 79.2
4. Hwy 101 to Shakopee Travelodge 0.90 Fair 45.0 42.4 - 47.6
5. Shakopee Travelodge to The Landing 1.08 Excellent 25.6 22.6 - 28.6
6. The Landing to Valley Park Drive 1.58 Excellent 28.3 23.4 - 33.1
7. Valley Park Drive to Hwy 101 Trailhead 1.48 Excellent 27.2 26.4 - 28
8. Hwy 101 Trailhead ot Hwy 169 Underpass 0.83 Good 30.6 26.9 - 34.2
9. Hwy 169 Underpass to Bloomington Ferry Trailhead 0.98 Good 36.0 33.1 - 38.8
Mill Towns State Trail
1. Dundas to Railroad tracks 0.70 Fair 59.4 49.2 - 69.5 NA
2. Raidroad tracks to Sechler Park 1.08 Poor 67.0 57.9 - 75.9 NA
3. Sechler Park to Cannon River 1.16 Poor 62.7 58.1 - 67.3 NA
4. Lake Byllesby to Hwy 52 1.13 Excellent 28.9 27.3 - 33.5
5. Hwy 52 to Cannon Falls 0.65 Excellent 29.6 27.7 - 31.4