Wooddale Avenue Bike Lane Repainting 'Done by Memorial Day'

The experimental bike lanes on Wooddale Avenue will likely be no more by Memorial Day, after Edina City Council members voted 5-0 in favor of repainting the stretch of roadway as soon as possible.

Council members voted just last month to remove the advisory bike lanes from Wooddale, which run from 50th Street to Valley View Road, and repaint the roadway's centerline. A dedicated bike lane would then be placed alongside southbound traffic between 50th and 56th streets, with sharrows—markings of a bike with two chevrons above it—painted on the remaining portions of Wooddale to remind drivers the avenue is shared with bicyclists.

A parking lane will be retained on the east side of Wooddale, under the approved plan.

After received confirmation from MnDOT that the changes would not jeopardize $250,000 in federal grant money through the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Transit for Livable Communities (TLC) program, council members opted to pay the estimated $29,600 for repainting using city funds rather than wait any longer.

Mayor Jim Hovland praised City staff for working with MnDOT and the FHWA to find a good solution to the problem at hand.

"Convincing the FHWA that they don't need repayment is huge," Hovland said. "That's a great victory."

There was a brief debate among the council over whether the city should pursue Municipal State Aid (MSA) funds for the changes or simply absorb the costs, as MSA funds would require a variance through MnDOT and MSA approval of plans. The council could have either waited until July if they sought a variance, or paid for the project up-front and apply for the variance afterward.The cost of simply preparing an application for the variance would have cost the city around $4,000, according to Director of Engineering Wayne Houle.

Hovland said he got the impression the variance would not be difficult to secure after the fact, while Council Member Josh Sprague said he was not comfortable with the prospect of the variance being denied.

"Rather than wagering my constituents' $4,000, can't we do it in house and be done with it?" Sprague asked.

From what he knew about the situation, Houle said seeking a variance "is going to be a tough sell to that group."

Council members eventually agreed seeking a variance was not worth the risk, as the city could potentially be out $4,000 with nothing to show for it.

Houle said the project is completely weather dependent, but said staff would be working diligently and shooting to have it "done by Memorial Day."

City Manager Scott Neal urged to Council to not be overly anxious to get the repainting done, noting they only need to look at the recent Hennepin County painting on Xerxes Avenue to see what happens when paint is applied to cold pavement.

"The county did that project last year, but it was too cold to do the painting and it's worn off," Neal said. "We don't want to do that on this project."

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