2026 Pavement Management postcard #1 - March 2025
Feedback summary
2026 Pavement Management feedback summary letter - June 6, 2025
- Feedback on the proposed sidewalk
- Why sidewalks?
- To improve safety, accessibility and connectivity within our community.
- To support healthy lifestyles by encouraging walking and outdoor activity.
- To make it easier for people of all ages and abilities—including children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities—to move around the neighborhood safely and independently.
- Who pays?
- These sidewalk segments will be constructed at no direct cost to the property owners, and the city is responsible for any future repairs.
- What about trees and landscaping?
- As part of the design, staff will look at all options to preserve as many trees as possible.
- Preliminary plans showing the sidewalk and impacts will be shared at open houses held later this year.
- The impact of the proposed sidewalks, along with the cost and resident feedback, will be presented to the city council to assist them with their decision.
- What about snow removal?
- The adjacent property owner will be responsible for snow removal.
- Where will the sidewalk go?
- Investing in sidewalk infrastructure aligns with the city’s long-term transportation and livability goals, helping create a more connected, walkable and inclusive community.
- The city's sidewalk planning framework has a goal of having continuous sidewalks on at least one side of the street on low-volume residential roads.
- The existing sidewalk system is reviewed as part of street projects, and new sidewalks are evaluated.
- 29th Street design
- Reduce the street width from 30 feet to 26 feet (will minimize the impacts to trees and driveway lengths)
- Evaluate the sidewalk on the north side of 29th Street (there are fewer trees, utility and retaining walls; it receives more direct sunshine during the winter, promoting snow/ice melt)
- Propose a four-foot-wide grass boulevard and a five-foot-wide concrete sidewalk (the boulevard width will be reduced in some locations to preserve existing trees)
- 27th Street design
- Evaluate the sidewalk on the south side of 27th Street between Louisiana and Kentucky avenues, which would complete a gap in the existing sidewalk network.
- When will the sidewalk locations be decided? How can I provide feedback?
- The decision on whether to construct proposed sidewalk segments will be made by the city council as a part of the project approval process in late 2025.
- Right now, these sidewalks are being evaluated as part of the project development.
- Staff recommendations will ultimately be based on factors like traffic volumes, tree impacts, private property impacts, available right of way and cost.
- It is possible that sidewalks evaluated will not be recommended or approved for construction.
- Request for more boulevard trees
- The project includes planting new trees the year after construction.
- Concerns of safety at intersections; requests for stop signs, increased visibility, etc.
- The city will evaluate intersections. Any changes will be shared at open houses.
- Upgrade railroad crossings
- Areas where flooding occurs during heavy rain events
- Staff will review these areas and investigate potential solutions.
- Pedestrian crossings on Minnetonka Boulevard
- Street width FAQs
- Why reduce the street widths?
- Pedestrian safety: narrower streets mean that pedestrians have a shorter crossing distance at intersections.
- Street trees: a wider grass boulevard provides more space for existing trees to thrive and for planting new trees.
- Stormwater management: a reduction in the pavement that directly drains to the storm sewer means less runoff going into our lakes, wetlands, and rivers.
- Heat pollution: less pavement reduces the potential for solar-generated heat, contributing to a reduction in the urban heat island effect.
- Traffic management: narrower streets, in combination with on-street parking and street trees, can reduce vehicle speeds.
- Snow removal: a wider boulevard provides more space for snow storage. Also, less pavement means less snow being pushed into the boulevard.
- Cost: less pavement will mean less cost for initial construction and future maintenance (i.e., sweeping, salt application, snow removal, etc.)
- How are streets selected?
- As part of the Pavement Management project, the city evaluates street widths and works to right-size our streets where possible. The possibility opens up when concrete curb is removed on the street due to underground city utility replacement, poor condition, poor drainage or sidewalk installation.
- When the curb is removed, the city has an opportunity to evaluate the existing street width and will recommend width reductions on streets wider than 28 feet.
- Are emergency services affected?
- Police and fire departments have reviewed our street width standards and are comfortable with parking allowed on both sides of streets that are 28 feet wide or more.
- Which streets will be reduced in width?
- Please review the proposed street widths on the project map.
- The city will be replacing all the concrete curbs on the street segments in the project area. The exception is 28th Street, where the existing curb is in good condition.
- The majority of the proposed street widths include a reduction from 30 feet to 28 feet. Parking is allowed on both sides of 28-foot-wide streets.
- The proposed street width of 29th Street is a reduction from 30 feet to 26 feet to minimize the impacts to trees and driveway lengths due to proposed sidewalk construction. Parking would be restricted on one side of the street if the street width is changed to 26 feet.
- When will the road widths be decided? How can I provide feedback?
- No decisions have been made at this time.
- There will be open houses later this year where the project design will be shared and city staff will be available to answer questions and collect feedback.
- The decision on whether to approve the proposed street widths will be made by the city council as part of the project approval process in late 2025.
Open houses
2026 Pavement Management open house no. 1 invitation letter - Sept. 8, 2025
2026 Pavement Management open house no. 2 invitation letter - Oct. 29, 2025
Public hearing
2026 Pavement Management public hearing invitation letter - Dec. 29, 2025
Staff presented the details of the project along with recommendations.
- Project Layouts
- Staff recommendations map
- Staff recommends that the project include the following improvements:
- Pavement rehabilitation
- Watermain, storm and sanitary structure replacement
- New sidewalk on the north side of 29th Street from Louisiana Avenue to Brunswick Avenue
- Curb and driveway apron replacement
- Street width changes
- Stormwater treatment (underground infiltration)
Updated staff recommendations
Following the public hearing on Jan. 20, engineering staff completed additional review of the proposed street width recommendations to better understand how they would function in the context of daily operations and year-round conditions. This included conversations with fire, police and public works departments to gather department-specific feedback based on operational experience and service delivery needs. Through these discussions, it was noted that the Bronx Park neighborhood presents unique, context-specific challenges.
Based on this interdepartmental coordination and a context-sensitive evaluation of the project, staff are recommending revisions to the street width recommendations that were presented at the Jan. 20 public hearing.
Revised staff recommendation map
Project layouts (from December 2025 Open House #2)
Layouts are from prior open house and do not match the updated staff recommendations.
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Change: Staff recommend that all north–south streets (Kentucky, Jersey, Idaho, Colorado and Brunswick avenues) remain at their existing width of 30 feet.
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Staff recommend construction of a sidewalk on the north side of 29th Street.
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If the sidewalk on the north side of 29th Street is approved, staff recommend reducing the street width from 30 feet to 26 feet, with parking prohibited on the north side of the street. This recommendation:
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Minimizes impacts to existing trees, driveway lengths, and adjacent private property.
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Addresses seasonal emergency access and operational needs through posted no-parking restrictions
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If the council does not support the construction of a sidewalk on 29th Street, staff recommends that the street remain at its current width of 30 feet.
Construction updates
Newsletter - May 19, 2026
