MNDOT Adequacy Determination - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Paul Bunyan Regional Trail The Paul Bunyan Regional Trail is a multi - purpose recreational trail located within the project corridor. The trail parallels Highway 371 throughout the entire project corridor and in several places is immediately adjacent to the highway. All of the build alternatives, including the preferred alternative, require shifting the trail and its right -of -way for the expansion of the highway. The preferred alternative results in direct impacts to five areas of the trail and requires approximately 21,080 feet of the trail be realigned. To mitigate these impacts, Mn/DOT is proposing to relocate the trail and maintain the recreational corridor throughout the project area including construction of a trail bridge structure that spans over the proposed Highway 371 alignment in the vicinity of County Road 107. The MNDNR has concurred with this mitigation approach. The correspondence letters between WDOT and MNDNR staff are included in Appendix F in the SFEIS. Pique River Depot The Pine River Depot is located in the southwest quadrant of the Highway 371 and Highway 84 intersection in downtown Pine River. The depot structure is owned by Mn/DOT and located partially on Mn/DOT right-of-way, as well as right -of -way for the Paul Bunyan Trail. The depot was constructed to service the Brainerd and Northern Minnesota Railway and is currently not in use, but has been previously determined to be eligible for listing in the National Register of , Historic Places. Each of the build alternatives considered require removal of the depot structure. As part of the 2005 FEIS and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was executed that defined several mitigation stipulations associated with impacts to the depot. An Amendment to the original MOA has been executed that further defines the mitigation. The majority of these mitigation stipulations were carried out in 2009 including the relocation of the depot to a new site and restoration improvements to the structure. The completion of these stipulations was made possible, in part, through the use of federal Transportation History Network Funds that were secured by Cass County and Mn/DOT. A requirement of these funds and the MOA is that any transfer in ownership shall be to a party or parties able to maintain the building consistent with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. As a result of the Pine River Depot's relocation onto a new site, the Pine River Depot will no longer be directly impacted by any alternative and, therefore, impacts to the Depot are not discussed in detail in the Revised Section 4(f) Evaluation. Brainerd and Northern Minnesota Railway Corridor The Brainerd and Northern Minnesota Railway Corridor (also known as the Burlington Northern Railroad grade) parallels Highway 371 throughout the entire project corridor and in several places is immediately adjacent to the highway. The railway corridor, which is currently occupied by the Paul Bunyan Regional Trail, was identified as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. All of the build alternatives, including the preferred alternative, impact the railway corridor. Up to 21,080 feet of the railway corridor will be potentially impacted. Mn/DOT has worked with the SHPO to determine the extent of ' permanent and direct impacts on the railway corridor and developed a MOA that includes mitigation stipulations. The MOA is included in Appendix B of the Final EIS. The MOA requires that Mn/DOT implement a Brainerd and Northern Minnesota Railway interpretation strategy that documents the location of the historic railway. TH371 - 4dequacy Determination Nisswa to Pine River 8 October. 2010 "'%11