Prior Lake seeks bonding to finish safety-critical trail gap on Highway 13

Representative Ben Baker presented House File 3515 to fund completion of the final segment of the Highway 13 regional trail in Prior Lake.

Mayor Kurt Briggs described the corridor’s topography and the safety hazard posed by the absence of a dedicated trail: students and residents currently use the highway shoulder where vehicles routinely travel above 50 mph. Briggs said the remaining segments are the most challenging because of steep topography and engineering needs; he identified two on-grade segments as priority and said MnDOT has been a project partner. The city has completed about 2.5 miles of the 4.5-mile segment and is requesting state support to finish the remaining, more costly pieces.

Members asked whether the trail would sit in state right-of-way and whether bridges, culverts or retaining walls would be needed; the city said most work would be in MnDOT right-of-way with significant retaining-wall construction in places where the road drops off steeply. Committee members did not record a vote on the request during the hearing.