DEPARTMENT: Transportation
FILE TYPE: Regular Information
TITLE
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Update And Direction On Potential Trail Inclusion For County State Aid Highway 54 Expansion In Ravenna Township, County Project 54-011
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Provide an update to County leadership on the preliminary design layout and key findings from the April 8, 2026, public open house for the County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 54 reconstruction project and seek further direction on the potential inclusion of a multi-use trail.
SUMMARY
Dakota County, in partnership with the City of Hastings, Prairie Island Indian Community, and Ravenna Township, is advancing County Project (CP) 54-011 to reconstruct CSAH 54 (Ravenna Trail) between CSAH 54 (18th Street East) and CSAH 68 (200th Street East). The project includes safety-driven geometrics, widened shoulders, turn lanes, culvert replacements, flood-resiliency improvements, and a planned roundabout at the CSAH 54/68 intersection (Attachment: Location Map). Construction is anticipated in 2030, subject to funding.
CSAH 54 is currently a narrow, high-speed rural highway with documented safety issues, including sharp curves, limited shoulder width, inadequate sight distances, and a high number of run-off-the-road crashes. The open house materials and analysis highlight over 200 documented crashes in the corridor over the past ten years, including run-off-the-road, head-on, and vehicle-bike/pedestrian incidents.
A multi-use trail adjacent to CSAH 54 is also being evaluated. This facility would serve as a critical extension of the Mississippi River Greenway, enabling future regional trail connections south to Prairie Island and eventually to downtown Red Wing, consistent with the 2009 Hastings-to-Red Wing Trail Master Plan and its 2023 update.
County staff previously provided updates on May 13, 2025, and December 2, 2025, outlining four design options:
1. Reconstruction without trail
2. Reconstruction with paved trail
3. Reconstruction ...
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