2008 TCBM updates

How much difference is there between the 2005 version of the Twin Cities Bike Map and the new 2008 edition? It’s a question I’m asked each time I update the map.

To give you a better sense of what goes on with an update, I’ve kept a log of the changes as I discovered them on my research trips. I wouldn’t expect anyone to wade through everything here. It’s pretty tedious. But take a look at the areas you know. Maps are an ongoing work in progress, so if you find anything that should be changed, or feel that we should consider an alternate route, please let us know through the contact form on our website www.bikeverywhere.com. We’ll check out your suggestions and get back to you with our decision.

General Changes

Tear and Water Resistant Paper One of the biggest changes is that the new map is on tear and water resistant Polyart paper. The new paper will hold up to sweat, sun. mud puddles and multi-folds.

Name Changes “Bikeverywhere” is the new public name for Little Transport Press. It’s easier to remember and it reflects our goal in publishing bike maps. Little Transport Press is still the official business name and no one has bought us out.

Detailed Changes

Afton
· Trading Post Trail has been paved north to Valley Creek Tr. This offers a great alternate to St. Croix Tr., which has gotten more traffic lately. I’ve removed 30th and the Nybeck/Oakgreen route. The route is still scenic, but Trading Post Trail trumps it.
· Several one-mile stretches of road between Neal and Manning have been paved, removing a long-term frustration for riders wishing to travel between Woodbury and Afton. 15th and 22nd are the most important. They now provide almost direct connections between Stagecoach Trail and Settlers Ridge Rd (see Woodbury). Both, however, require riding on stretches of Manning Ave (Hwy 95).
· Trading Post Trail is paved south of 50th to Trout Brook. It is gravel for about 1.5 blocks as it crosses the creek, then turns to pavement again as it heads south to 70th. It’s a beautiful road, if you don’t mind riding the short stretch of gravel.

Apple Valley
· A new route connects Flagstaff with Garden View via 147th and other routes. It’s a short, but decent route that doesn’t require riding on bike trails alongside busy highways.
· Galaxie Ave. has been designated a busy bike route. Traffic has picked up considerably on this north-south route along the west side of the Minnesota Zoo.

Bloomington
· The bike trail through Hyland Park exits the south end of the park on Hampshire Rd. I’ve made the connection.

Brooklyn Park
· I’ve demoted most of Nobel Ave. between 76th and 93rd Ave. N The Noble Parkway crossing over Hwy 610 has created a lot of traffic. There is no striped bike lane.
· I’ve brought back Regent and Edinborough Terrace plus Prestwick, a reasonably direct route through a subdivision west of Noble. The Regent crossing over Hwy 610 is quieter and more bike friendly than Noble.

Buffalo
· Hwy 34 extended into Buffalo from the east. To avoid Hwy 55, the route goes north on 12th, then east on 3rd and 2nd to Hwy 25 and the lakefront. From here the route goes south on Hwy 25, an OK route, but heavy traffic.

Centerville
· 20th Ave. S from Cty J north to Main St. I have reports of this being a high traffic, no shoulder road and have downgraded it to a county rd. I checked it on 7/1/07. It was recently repaved, but not striped. It appears to be the same width as the old road. If it is wider than I thought and gets a shoulder stripe, please contact me and tell me if you think it deserves to be a bike route.
· 20th north of Main St is still a bike route. 73rd and Peltier Lake Rd offer a connector from 20th to Main St and the road into Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park Reserve. With this, the bike path through the park and Black Duck Rd or Shadow Lake Rd, it is now possible to get into or around Centerville without using the ugly north south connectors running into town.
· The re-routes created a cascade of other changes too small and numerous to mention.
· Bike Path through Chamoix Golf Course. Made slight correction in path to reflect that it stops at Shadow Lake Dr, follows the road and Sandpiper Dr for 50 yards, then starts again in the golf course. Also added spur trail to Timberwolf Dr in small neighborhood south of park.
· Cty Rd J: I’ve upgraded it to a bike route from Groveland (West of I-35W) to Hwy 59 near I-35. It has traffic, but a good shoulder on both sides. Good east west connector and popular bike route because of the scenery despite the traffic.
· Cty Rd I upgraded to good bike road from Spring Lake Rd to Hamline. Good shoulder with traffic.

Chaska
· Since about 2000 the bike trail between Murphy’s Landing and Chaska has come to a dead end where it once crossed the Minnesota River into Chaska. The river crossing is now complete. Instead of rebuilding the bridge, the trail has been extended to Hwy 41 and a bike crossing has been built into the Hwy 41 bridge reconstruction.
· The bike trails around Chaska are confusing. For the sake of clarity, I’ve removed the trails that wander through the parks south of the Arboretum and limited the trials to those that run along recognizable features, such as roads and creeks or rivers.

Cottage Grove
· I’ve created a connector from Inwood Ave and 70th through a nice residential area to Keats and eventually 80th and Kimbro. The route isn’t as direct as Military Rd, but it provides a pleasant alternate route.

Crystal
· North end of Brunswick Ave is labeled as 49th. It is actually Fairview Ave. N. The road becomes 49th west of Winnetka.

Eagan
· Added bike path on east side of Pilot Knob from Deerwood north to Yankee Doodle.

Edina
· I’ve connected Valley View Rd to Vernon Ave via the Frontage Rd on the west side of Hwy 100. This creates a nice north/south connector on the west side of Hwy 100.
· Overlooked the second bike bridge across Highway 100, near Golf Terrace on the east side. There are two bridges very close to each other in this area. I only had one of them.
· A bike path under Xerxes Ave at Adams Hill Park combined with a new north south path just east of France Ave. to make Centennial Lakes more accessible for bikes. It also opened up a connector to W. 70th St.

Fridley
· County H-2 and Quincy make a good combination, but the crossing over Hwy 10 is ugly. Would it be better to stay on County I to Long Lake Rd, then drop south?
· I’ve added Old Hwy 8 to the east side of Long Lake. It’s an OK road with the advantage that it connects from the Rice Creek Trail to Hwy 96 on the east side of I-35W.

Greenfield
· Added Greenfield Rd and Harff Rd north of Woodland and west of Pioneer Trail. They’re scenic and quiet roads that will add to any ride in this area.

Hanover
· Jaber Ave and Jamison Ave now connect Beebe Lake Rd with Fenning Ave (Hwy 35). They tie in nicely with the new alternate route through St. Michael (See St. Michael) and provide a nice north south connector.
· Farmington Ave does the same between Hwy 34 and Hwy 33 and continues the Hwy 117/15/126 north south connector. Caution note: Motorists use this route as well. Traffic is moderately heavy and the road has no shoulders.

Hugo
· Highway 8, between I-35E and Highway 61, has become a main throughway with lots of traffic, including heavy truck traffic. It has a useable bike path on the north side, but the road has been demoted.
· Connecting to the Hardwood Bike Trail requires a keen eye if you are riding the bike path on Highway 8. Watch for a small sidewalk angling off the trail as you come into town. The sidewalk connects the bike path to 145th St. Take 145th to the trailhead. If you miss the cut off, you will have to ride north on the shoulder of Highway 61 several blocks to find the trail.
· Elmcrest (see White Bear Lake), crosses Highway 8 and continues north into a new subdivision. It’s paved to Heritage Pkwy. I’ve added Elmcrest, Heritage Pkwy and Oneoka because they are decent roads, but the view is primarily new housing.
· 147th connects the hardwood Trail with Oneka Lake Rd. 147th wasn’t properly marked on the map. I’ve made the change.
· Goodview is now a good bike road between Oneka and Egg Lake Rd. It’s been there for awhile, but in the past it had numerous gravel sections. Those have been paved. Goodview offers a good alternate to riding through Hugo on busy Highway 61.
· Egg Lake Road, now Highway 8, and its connectors 137th and 140th have been downgraded. Traffic has increased and the road surface is rough. The roads are still rideable, but a much better alternate is 132nd, about half a mile south.
· 165th, is now paved between the Harwood Trail and Ingersoll Ave. It makes a quiet and smooth alternate to 170th St. (Highway 4) to the north.

Inver Grove Heights
· I removed the maze of roads around the intersection of Hwy 55 and Hwy 52. There are some nice roads in this area, but the maze of options created more confusion than enlightenment. Try a little exploring around Barnes Ave. north of 102nd to discover some of the hilly roads through a subdivision of large houses with big yards.
· Here’s one that’s hard to depict on a map of the scale of the Twin Cities Bike Map> 75th connects the very useful bike trail on the west side of Hwy 52 with a small trail west of Cahill. Use a section of that small trail to connect with 72nd and continue east to Dawn Way. The challenge is where 75th meets the trail. Stay on 75th until you see pump house #5 for Inver Grove Heights. There’s a two-car parking lot there and an inconspicuous ramp down to the trail. Turn left on the trail, then look for a spur trail to the right. That puts you on Cahill Ave. Turn left on Cahill, go a block, then turn right onto 72nd. It would be nice if Inver Grove Heights did a better job of signing these access points.
· Further north, 66th goes east toward the river. Some folks will remember that this was once a quaint river crossing with a single lane swing bridge with a deck on the bottom and rail tracks above. The bridge has been condemned and barricaded off. As an alternate, turn right on Dane Trail and ride to the end of the road. Much of the River is obscured by private homes, but the road is pleasant and you can stop at a park mid-way for a picnic and access to the water.
· Argenta Trail realigned to reflect connecting with Yankee Doodle Rd.

Landfall
· Conway St no longer goes through to the small side street next to Century Ave. The route goes north on Century for a block before getting away from that busy road.

Lake Elmo
· Keats Ave. south of Hwy 36 has been downgraded. The crossing from south of the Hwy to north has been reworked. The new configuration is dangerous for cyclists. The better crossing is west at Demontreville Rd. I’ve labeled the road better.
· 50th east of Lake Elmo Ave has been upgraded to a bike route. It’s always been there, but I just discovered it. The route turns south at Linden Trail. Linden Trail crosses Stillwater Blvd.
· Linden Trail becomes McDonald Dr east of Stillwater Blvd. The name is appropriate. There are a lot of McMansions along this stretch of road.
· The Neal Ave route south of 30th changes names a couple of times. I’ve labeled the route better.

Lakeville
· 165th St. has been extended east to Griffon Trail, et al until it reaches Flagstaff, near the eastern edge of the city.
· Flagstaff is rideable south to the end of the map, but road construction leaves some questions about exactly how far south it will be paved.
· Going north, Flagstaff connects to 147th on the backside of a shopping mall in Apple Valley. See Apple Valley for more details.

Luce Line
· The long awaited connector from the Luce Line to Theodore Wirth Parkway has been started. It’s a bit of a disappointment, however. Apparently the Golden Valley Golf Course wouldn’t give the right of way rights to Three Rivers Park District, the developers of the connector. So instead of following the power line along the railroad tracks through the golf course, the path works its way around the edge of the golf course to Douglas Ave. At this time it ends at Douglas.
· I’ve connected the end of the trail to a frontage road on the east side of Douglas. The Frontage road goes east to Hwy 100, then bends north as a frontage road for Hwy 100. Just after going north, watch for a left turn that circles down and under Hwy 100 by the RR tracks. Cross under the tracks then go north on the east Frontage road to Golden Valley Rd. turn right, then right again at Duluth/Golden Valley Rd. This is a good route, although not the promised trail connector between the Luce Line and Theodore Wirth.
· The best connection to Theodore Wirth is to take Pennsylvania south from Country Club Rd to Hwy 55. Cross the Hwy and continue along Glenwood Rd to Theodore Wirth. The connector will show up on the 2008 map.
· I tried to connect to the south across Hwy 55, but ran into dead ends. The only way I could find to make this work was to ride for a short distance on Hwy 55. The shoulder is broad and the ride is manageable, but I’m not willing to send inexperienced riders down Hwy 55.

Maple Grove
· Weaver Lake Rd. This very busy road is the only connector through a very poorly planned suburb. The road, however, is dangerous for inexperienced riders. I will demote this road from busy bike road to no bike route. If you have to make the connection, use the bike paths either side of the road.
· Hwy 101 west of Weaver Lake (the lake, not the road): I had to demote this road. It will no longer be a busy bike route. The road has high traffic, 50 mph speeds and no shoulder.
· Bass Lake Rd (Hwy 10) is equally bad. Dropping these roads creates a serious gap in east/west connectors through Maple Grove, but I can’t, in good conscience, keep them any longer.
· Hwy 202 is still ugly going from 89th Ave to 93rd. There’s a bike path on the west side, but with the driveway crossings and intersections, I’m not sure it is a real improvement over riding the road.
· Some interesting bike trails north of 93rd make this part of the city more desirable and, of course, the North Hennepin Regional Trail is a treat to ride.
· 101st St. This road is still a quiet country road, but has the potential to turn ugly when Hwy 610 connects to I-94. Speculators have already put up signs selling land as “Hwy 610 Frontage Rd” west of I-94. I’ll keep it on 2008 because it is still good and there is no sign of Highway work in the area. This may be good for another 3 years.

Maplewood
· County Rd B has been upgraded to a bike route to Arcade St.
· The Bruce Vento Trail extends north to I-694
· Re-routed the bike route near Tanner Lake (I-94 and Century Ave) to avoid riding on Hadley and minimize riding on 7th.

Medicine Lake/New Hope
· Boone Ave, in Medicine Lake/New Hope ends at Medicine Lake Rd. To complete the connector to 23rd, you have to go west on Medicine Lake Rd half a block, then south on Cavelle. The jog is there in 2005, but Cavelle wasn’t properly labeled, causing some confusion.

Mendota
· Acacia Blvd: Map correction. Moved bike path to north side of the road.
· Add bike paths to Decorah Lane and Huber Lane.
· Upgraded Huber Trail to a bike route from Mendota Hts Rd north.

Mendota Heights
· Valley View Park Trail has been extended east along Highway 110 to Mendota Rd. From there you can pick up the Frontage Rd and 50th St. E to Babcock Tr. Then it’s an easy connection to the So. St. Paul Regional Trail and the new Wakota Bridge crossing over the Mississippi River. On the other end of this connecting trail you can cross the Mississippi River again at I-35E. This promises to be the best route into town from the southeast.

Minneapolis
· The Midtown Greenway goes all the way to the river, as most folks already know. The new map shows the route and the bridge crossing over Hiawatha Ave.
· A new entrance ramp has been added to the Midtown Greenway between 10th and 11th.
· I’ve added Zenith Ave. from 35th St. to 43rd St. and removed Xerxes from W. Calhoun Parkway to W. 43rd St. This wasn’t a necessary change. Xerxes worked fine, but Zenith is very quiet and runs along the west side of the settling pond and bridge on the west side of Lake Calhoun.
· I’ve added Plymouth and 26th Av N as east/west connectors. Both have striped bike lanes on each side of the road and make good connectors between Theodore Wirth and the river.
· Just across the river, I’ve added 22nd as an east/west connector between the river and Stinson Blvd. Stinson has been extended south to complete the connection from the north.
· Washington Ave. has been extended north from 13th to 22nd to complete the connection from the south.
· The Cedar Lake Trail has been re-aligned around the new Twins Stadium. The route to 12th has changed slightly.
· Kings Hwy (Dupont Ave. S), just east of Lake Harriet. Traffic can be heavy at times and the raod is very narrow. I’ve downgraded it to a busy bike route.
· W. 34th St., from Irving to Bryant makes a quiet alternate to W. 36th St.
· Bryant Ave. S is busy from Lake Street to 50th. I’ve downgraded it to a busy bike route. It has bicycle chevrons painted on the road surface and gets a lot of bike traffic, so motorists are considerate for the most part.
· 11th St. in Downtown goes all the way to the Mississippi River. I’ve made it a bike route to River Rd.

Minnetrista
· Westedge Blvd has been added. It makes a direct and pleasant connection between Hwy 44 (through Halstead Bay) and Lynwood Blvd along the west side of Langdon Lake.

New Brighton
· I’ve re-directed cyclists away from Old Hwy 8 to 5th Ave. the change puts cyclists on a quieter, more bike friendly road for an additional half mile.
· 10th Ave., on the south side of I-694, makes a good connector across I-35W. The road is quiet scenic and connects with Snelling near Bethel College.
· County Rd E, east of Snelling Ave has been downgraded. I’ve found a reasonably direct alternate route through a residential area south of County E. Take Pine Tree south to Harriet, then go east to Vivian and south to Arbogast. The route connects up nicely with N. Owasso Blvd.
· Here’s a real head scratcher: Heinel Dr, on the south side of Lake Owasso, goes southwest to Central Park North. I checked it out because I expected a bike path through the park to connect to Victoria. There’s a bike path there, but it runs directly to railroad tracks. Prominently displayed on both sides of the tracks are signs saying “Private Property-No Trespassing.” I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that a government body laid a bike path directly to private property as if to say “Go ahead, cross the tracks. Ignore the private property signs.” On the other side of the tracks dirt paths indicate that many people are doing just that. I did not include this alternate on the map. Terrace Dr works just fine and doesn’t require crossing private proerty.

Newport
· Wacouta Bridge, I-494 over the Mississippi River will have a bike lane on the north side of the westbound bridge.
· Bike Trails and bridges have made the east and south sides of Highways 61/10 accessible. This is a big improvement considering how much wider the whole footprint of the highways has become.

Oakdale
· Removed a couple of low value bike paths
· Renamed Harvester to 15th St, N. to correct a mistake on the earlier edition.

Robbinsdale
· Adair Rd connects Brunswick to 39th. The connection is on the map, but not labeled. Out on the road, the connection is pretty obvious, but I’ll have the road labeled in 2008.

Rockford
· Farmington Ave. SE now connects Hwy 17 to Hwy 115

Rosemount
· Rosemount is growing, which creates problems and opportunities for cyclists.
· Evermoor Pkwy extends SE and Connemara Trail. Connemara Trail extends east of Robert Trail into a new housing division and connects with Auburn and 145th St.
· I’ve added Akron Ave. south of 145th. It’s paved and goes into that sanctuary from Sprawl,
· UMORE Park, the University of Minnesota’s agricultural research land. UMORE doesn’t have a lot of paved roads, but the ones it has are very low traffic and the whole areas has a very quiet, peaceful feel to it.

Roseville
· County Rd B has been upgraded to a bike route. It has good shoulders and traffic is reasonable.
· I’ve eliminated Western Ave and Colville. They weren’t necessary since B works so well.
· The bike path on the east side of Fairview between Highway 36 and County Rd C really isn’t a path. I’ve removed it. Too bad, because this is a busy and potentially dangerous area for cyclists. Unfortunately, it is one of the few crossings in the area. There aren’t any good alternates as far as I can tell.
· Co Rd B2 from I-35W to Fairview has been downgraded from a bike route to an ordinary road. The crossing wasn’t very pleasant. The new route is Long Lake Rd on the west side of I-35W north to County Rd C. Cross on C, then hop on the rather nice bike path on the south side of C. The path goes to Dale St and runs through Central Park from Lexington to Dale.
· The bike route along County Rd C will eventually connect to a small spur that runs into Minneapolis along New Brighton Blvd. This will create a very pleasant route from NE Minneapolis to Vadnais Lake/White Bear Lake.
· Edgerton has been upgraded to a bike route south to the Gateway Trail. It has shoulders on both sides and makes a nice north/south connector from the Gateway to Vadnais Heights.

Plymouth
· New bike lanes have been added to roads like Zachary Ln and others. I’ll add the lanes, but overall I’m not a fan of these types of amenities. Putting a two-lane bike path next to a road, with multiple driveway crossings, is poor design. It invites accidents at each driveway. The roads, however, are also dangerous, so the bike paths may be the least dangerous choice if you have to travel these roads.
· Parkers Lake/Hwy 6: 22nd is a very nice connector between Dunkirk and Shenandoah. Shenandoah will be labeled better in 2008. There is a bike path through the park that goes under Hwy 6 and connects to the trail around the lake. The scale is too small to show this path.
· Gleason Lake Rd south of Parkers Lake: I will remove the bike path on the north side of the road in 2008. It works for a short distance, but at one point it appears to be about 2 feet wide and in places it disappears altogether. The road is rideable, but a better alternate is to stay on Niagara Lane south to Twelve Oaks and the frontage past the car dealerships.
· Schmidt Lake Rd and Larch have an odd but useful little bike path. Go north on Larch to the RR tracks. Turn left on the little bike path. The path ends at Pineview. The route takes you off Schmidt Lake Road for a couple of blocks.

Prior Lake
· McKenna Rd now crosses Hwy 42 (140th St) and passes through a brand new, high-end subdivision. The road comes out as Jeffers Pass onto Eagle Creek Ave. If going north on Eagle Creek Ave, you will have to cross a mid road boulevard to get onto Jeffers Pass. Probably worth it to get away from the heavy traffic on Eagle Creek Ave.
· 154th,(Hanrehan Rd) crosses Hwy 13 and passes through the Prior Lake High School parking lot to 150th St. Go west on 150th to the end and follow Fish Point Rd around back across Hwy 13 and south to 160th. This route is more circuitous than riding south on Hwy 27 to 160th and turning right, but it is much safer and Fish Point is attractive.
· Hwy 12 along the north side of Spring Lake becomes 170th St and gravel shortly west of Hwy 17 (Marschall Rd). I’ve added this segment as an alternate option to the very busy Hwy 17. It’s marked as gravel. Choose your route based on your preferences.

Savage
· Bypass Hwy 18 by Stagecoach to Hansen to Crossings to Foothill Tr. Eagle Creek Blvd is being rebuilt as new developments build along the road. The rebuilt sections have shoulders. The old segments do not. Use caution on this road.

Shakopee
· Although the bike trail that runs on the north side of Shakopee goes east to Murphy’s landing, as shown on the 2005 map, the best access point is Veteran’s Memorial Park off Hwy 101. I’ve made that more clear.
· Access to the trail from within the park is still confusing. Go east from the entrance to the far parking lot, then follow the bike path that runs between the parking lot and the playground. At the “T” intersection, look right. You will see a rusty bridge across a body of water. The bridge connects to the bike trail. I can’t show this level of detail with the scale of the map.
· New route from Valley Fair west into Shakopee uses Frontage Rd and 4th Av to reduce the distance traveled on Hwy 101.
· Connect Vierling Dr to above route via 12th and Valley Park Dr.
· Map Correction: Fuller, in residential Shakopee, doesn’t go through to the river. It breaks at 5th. The bike route now goes west one block along 5th, then south on Atwood. Atwood leads directly to the trail along the river.

St Michael/Albertville
· Finally an alternate to Hwy 241. In fact, there are two alternates. Go north on Hwy 22 (Naber Ave) from Hwy 116 (Territorial). Turn left on Frankfort Parkway. Follow this tree-lined boulevard west to Hwy 19 (Main St). Cross 19 to Birch. Continue west to Hwy 119. Turn left on 119, then right on Hwy 35. Frankfort has been a disconnected road for years, but is now a through street. It’s rare to see such a nice, through-street in the burbs. Kudos to St. Michael.
· Alternate two is to continue north on Naber Ave to 50th, then go west. This is a good escape route off the north end of the map.
· St. Michael also has a bike path through its lower recreation fields at Lander and 32nd. Enter the fields at City Hall. The bike path skirts the edge of the woods and comes out in a development south of Hwy 241. From there you can cross 241 at a light and go north on Maciver to Frankfort, mentioned above. The combination of all these developments means 241 can be demoted to a mere highway. It is long overdue.

St. Paul
· Marshall Ave. from the Lake St/Marshall Ave Bridge has striped bike lanes on both sides of the road. The lanes go to Cleveland but I turned the route south and hooked up with Dayton to keep the network complete. Dayton west of the Fry will no longer be shown as a bike route. Barb Thoman, of Transit for Livable Communities pointed out that crossing Cretin Ave at Dayton was quite difficult because of the traffic and lack of a crossing light.
· All of the connector roads (15th, 22nd, 30th) between Woodbury and Afton have been paved. This is a big improvement for riders going east/west through the area.
· From the intersection of Valley Creek and Manning, go either north or south to the first intersection, then turn east to connect with the Afton road system.
· Burlington Rd, on the bluffs above Hwy 61/10 has been around for quite a while, but I just discovered it. A beautiful sweeping, rolling road, it goes south from Lower Afton Rd to Linwood. It creates an OK connector, but the real reason for riding this road is because it’s fun.

South St. Paul
· A new section of road connects Blaine Ave. with Southview Blvd just east of Hwy 52. This completes a very nice connector form 19th Ave N in South St. Paul across I-494 and into Inver Grove Heights.
· For riders heading toward the Wakota Bridge from South St. Paul, go south on 9th Ave. S to 50th St. E, then go east to 7th and south across I-494. 7th isn’t as pleasant as Blaine, but you cut off a mile and the road is quite rideable.

Vadnais Heights
· I’ve upgraded Centerville Rd, from Goose Lake Rd to Co Rd J. It is now a bike route. The road has a good shoulder on both sides. Traffic can be heavy, but there are few cross streets, so the road offers a good north/south connector along the east side of North Oaks.
· Adding Centerville opens up two new options: County Rd H2 ( marked as Hwy 5 on the 05TCBM), is now a good connector across I-35E and County F from Centerville to Gransie, becomes a good east/west connector.

White Bear Lake
· Otter Lake Rd, on the east side of I-35E, has been downgraded. It is too busy and the shoulders are inadequite. The road is still adequate south of County Rd J because traffic speeds are slower.
· Elmcrest, starting at the northern tip of Bald Eagle Lake, works as an alternate, if you don’t mind short stretches of gravel. The road works its way north along the east side of a new housing development. Where paved it’s a good road, but it has some short sections of gravel. Apparently developers paved their roads, but the city didn’t pave the undeveloped areas.
· Elmcrest continues north of Highway 8 through another housing development but turns to gravel before it gets to 170th near the top of the map. See Hugo for details.
· I’ve added Cedar Ave. a good east/west connector through the south side of town.

Woodbury
· I created two new east west routes.
· Tamarack Road, a mile south of I-94 has been extended to west of I-494. It works as a connector to Upper Afton Rd. Tamarack has a lot of traffic, a common problem with through streets in Woodbury, but it is wide enough to accommodate bicyclists who don’t mind riding next to traffic.
· Courtly Rd connects from Lake Rd to Ojibway Park. The route goes north and east to Afton Rd. It’s not as direct as Tamarack to the north or Lake Rd to the south, but considerably quieter than either.
· Lake Rd has gotten quite a bit busier over the last few years. It is now a busy bike route the whole distance. It’s still rideable, but the roar of traffic will be more constant than in the past.
· Suburban sprawl is in full view along Settlers Ridge Rd. This new road, just east of Cottage Grove Rd, has already been filled in completely with new housing. The road itself makes a decent north south route along Woodbury’s eastern edge.
· Valley Creek Rd, a difficult road for cyclists, provides a short connector from Settlers Ridge to Manning Ave. South.