2.6 Case Study for Crossing of Gateway Trail and Hadley Ave
2.6.1 Site Description
2.6.1.1 Overview
The Gateway Trail crossing at Hadley Avenue North is located in the City of Oakdale,
Minnesota. This is a parallel path trail that crosses Hadley Avenue North right next to the
intersection with 55th Street North. Site visit was conducted on September 19, 2011, from 4:30
PM to 5:00 PM. Figure 2.32 shows an aerial view of the trail crossing at the time of site visit,
while Figure 2.33 shows the existing lane configuration and site plan. Figure 2.34 shows the trail
crossing during site visit while looking southwest along the trail.
Figure 2.32: Crossing of Gateway Trail and Hadley Avenue North in the City of Oakdale
Source: Google Earth V 7.0.3.8542. (April 3, 2012). Gateway Trail at Hadley Avenue North, Oakdale, MN. 45° 1'36.75"N, 92°58'16.96"W, Eye
alt 1846 feet. http://www.google.com/earth/index.html (Accessed 20 May, 2013).
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Figure 2.33: Existing Lane Configuration of Gateway Trail Crossing
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Figure 2.34: Gateway Trail Crossing Looking Southwest
2.6.1.2 Description of the Trail
The Gateway Trail is one of the busiest trails in the state. It has two travelled lanes and
advanced warning marking and STOP signs. The trail crosses Hadley Avenue North at the
intersection with 55th North Avenue. Based on the survey results and site observation, the annual
volumes of trail users are 38,000 bicyclists, 13,000 pedestrians, and 8,700 rollerbladers.
2.6.1.3 Description of the Crossed Road
Hadley Avenue North is an urban two-lane undivided roadway with speed limit of 45 miles per
hour (72.4 kilometers per hour). At the location of the crossing, Hadley Avenue North has a Tintersection with 55th Avenue North; the trail crosses three lanes. The surrounding area is
primarily urban mixed use. The ADT for Hadley Avenue North is 6,400 vehicles per day
according to the 2009 estimates. Hadley Avenue North crosses another intersection close to the
trail crossing with Highway 36 which is a 55 mile per hour (88.5 kilometer per hour) multilane
divided roadway.
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2.6.1.4 Existing Traffic Control
At the time of site visit, the traffic control device for the trail users are two STOP (R1-1) signs,
each per direction along with advanced warning pavement markings reading “STOP AHEAD;”
these markings were preceded by Stop Ahead (W3-1) signs Additionally, stop lines were present
on the trail approaches. The crosswalk for the trail crossing, which uses the ladder configuration,
has pavement markings which are in good condition. On Hadley Avenue North, drivers are
presented with Pedestrian Crossing (W11-2) signs with supplemental Diagonal Downward
Arrow (W16-7P) plaques at the location of trail crossing. Further, a DO NOT BLOCK
INTERSECTION (R10-7) sign is mounted beneath the arrow plaque in the northbound direction.
Finally, “No Motor Vehicles Permitted” signs are mounted on the rear of the trail STOP sign
posts such that they are facing the roadway. These signs are not the standard NO MOTOR
VEHICLES (R5-3) signs seen in the MN MUTCD.
2.6.2 Safety Concerns
2.6.2.1 Site Observation
There have been several near misses reported at this busy trail crossing. Safety issues are
further compounded by the high speed limit, 45 miles per hour (72.4 kilometers per hour), on
Hadley Avenue North. Two years ago, there was a serious bike crash at this trail crossing.
Traffic was backed up due to a traffic signal on the nearby intersection of Hadley Avenue North
and Highway 36 because of which vehicles were stopped in the trail crossing. A bicyclist
crossing the trail was hit when a driver tried to pass the traffic queue on the shoulder. Figure
2.34 shows the approach to the trail crossing looking North West on Hadley Avenue North and
the nearby intersection of Highway 36. Figure 2.36 shows the trail crossing and parallel road
55th Avenue North looking to the northeast.
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Figure 2.35: Gateway Trail Crossing Looking North West on Hadley Avenue North and
Showing Highway 36 Intersection
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Figure 2.36: Gateway Trail Crossing Looking Northeast
2.6.2.2 Crash Record
There were no trail-user-related crash records found for this trail crossing.
2.6.2.3 Identified Safety Concerns
The major safety issues identified through field surveys are:
1) The trail crossing is one of the busiest in the state with 13,330 pedestrians and 38,000 bikes
per year, creating opportunities for conflicts with roadway traffic.
2) Traffic on Hadley Avenue North can be backed up into the trail crossing due to nearby
intersection with Highway 36. There is a sign warning drivers not to block the trail crossing.
3) The speed limit on Hadley Avenue North is relatively high therefore drivers need ample
warning upstream of the trail crossing.
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