County Hopes to Rebuild Part of Orleans with Narrower Lanes, Room for Snow Storage

When Washington County rebuilds Orleans Street from South Fourth Street to Fourth Avenue in Oak Park Heights and Stillwater, the county hopes to make the driving and parking lanes a bit narrower—leaving room for a 3-foot wide boulevard on the north side of the street.

The Washington County Board of Commissioners agreed on Tuesday to request a street-width variance from MnDOT for the project.

The state standard design requires 42 feet of total roadway width. The proposal is for a 40-foot roadway width.

County staff has met with staff members of the cities of Oak Park Heights and Stillwater several times regarding the project, and through the course of those discussions, determined that residents have a difficult time clearing the sidewalk in front of their property after plows remove snow from the road

That, according to Washington County officials, is because the sidewalk abuts the back of the curb leaving little area to move and store snow. There are also several signs with posts in the sidewalk pavement, which can hamper use of the sidewalks, especially for residents with disabilities.

The existing road is 44 feet wide from curb to curb. The proposed pavement width is 40 feet, which will allow enough room for a three-foot boulevard to be installed on the north side of the road.

There is not a sidewalk on the south side of the road in Oak Park Heights, and parking is available on both sides of the road.

The proposed total width of 40 feet includes 11-foot wide through lanes and 9-foot wide parking lanes. The current through lanes are 12-feet wide, and the existing parking lanes are 10-feet wide.

Broken storm sewer pipes will be replaced, and a bump-out will be installed at South Third Street as part of the project.

The county and cities are proposing to use the 40-foot roadway width to alleviate the snow storage/removal issues and sign location issues, and to “enhance the residential character of the road and its surrounding area.”

Because the proposed road width does not comply with state standards, a variance is required.

A similar variance was requested by the county, and approved by the state, for the Third Street project—from Orleans Street to 423 feet north of Willard Street—in Stillwater. Construction of that project was completed in 2012.