Hodgson Road Reconstruction

As a critical north-south link between I-694 and Ramsey CSAH 96, Hodgson Road provides regional connectivity for residents and businesses in the cities of Shoreview and Vadnais Heights. Due to local topography and residential neighborhoods, there are minimal alternative north-south routes that can effectively move traffic in this area.

Since the early 2000s, Ramsey County had been actively studying the busy Hodgson Road 1.5-mile corridor. When the county received MnDOT turnback funding for the reconstruction of the corridor, the staff from the cities of Shoreview and Vadnais Heights staff and the county began engaging the public on the plans for the street reconstruction, including the reconstruction of County Road F between Rice Street and Hodgson Road.

The existing bituminous pavement was old, in poor condition, and beyond its useful service life. In addition to the pavement, the underground sanitary sewer and water main needed replacement. The entire corridor operated as a two-lane rural roadway with shoulders and no parking, sidewalks, or trails. Ramsey County and the cities of Shoreview and Vadnais Heights worked together to assess the needs along the 1.5-mile corridor and identified the following project goals:

• • Completely reconstruct roadway, replacing aging pavement.
  • Reconfigure the existing rural roadway to a new urban section with curb and gutter and storm sewer.
  • Develop construction staging that minimizes disruption and detours.
  • Minimize permanent and temporary right-of-way impacts.
  • Improve safety and traffic operations.
  • Develop a three-lane roadway section to more safely accommodate residents, using channelization where necessary.
  • Improve pedestrian and bike accommodations with the addition of a new multiuse trail and sidewalk.
  • Improve public utilities for the City of Shoreview, including the replacement of aging sanitary sewer and water main and extension of new sewer and water services to 90 property owners.
  • Improve the signalized intersection of Snail Lake Road and Rice Street/Gramsie Road.

The existing bituminous pavement was old, in poor condition, and beyond its useful service life. In addition to the pavement, the underground sanitary sewer and water main needed replacement. The entire corridor operated as a two-lane rural roadway with shoulders and no parking, sidewalks, or trails. With more than 90 access points along that corridor, traffic speed was a concern, as was the existing signalized intersection at Snail Lake Road and Rice Street/Gramsie Road. Ramsey County became the lead agency for the street and utility reconstruction project in 2022, moving forward with final design, right of way acquisition, and construction.

Following construction, significant improvements have impacted mobility and safety along the project corridor, including:

• • Three-lane urban design, including new curb and gutter and a storm sewer system, replacing the existing rural roadway.
  • 8-foot trail along the west side of the corridor, and a 5-foot sidewalk along the east side with ADA compliant pedestrian ramps and crossings.
  • New roundabout to replace the existing signal at Gramsie Road and Hodgson Road.