MN Landscape Arboretum – Eastern Drive

We collaborated with the University of MN, Landscape Arboretum staff, geotechnical engineer and several contractors to successfully complete this new 1-mile long roadway along with a new bridge and parking lot. This roadway now provides better access for both workers and visitors to many of the Arboretum’s tree plots, plant research areas, gardens and various other exhibits. The route that we chose for this roadway provides beautiful views of the rural landscape and the Arboretum’s world-class plant collections and gardens.

Arboretum Eastern Drive
Construction Photos
Completed Bridge

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Project Overview

Client: University of MN
Location: Chaska, MN
Services: Site Analysis, Site Planning & Design, Civil Engineering, Hydrology & Stormwater Modeling, Permitting & Regulatory Assistance, Bidding Assistance, Construction Administration

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Challenges

Site contains a few wetlands, several dozen trees, utilities and other vegetated areas that made it difficult to avoid removing many of these features for the new roadway.
Site contained steep slopes that were exhibiting erosion problems.

Solution and Results

Our team provided a complete package of services including the site analysis, planning, design/engineering, stormwater modeling, regulatory approvals, bidding assistance and construction administration services to successfully complete this 1-mile roadway that travels throughout much of the Arboretum’s eastern campus. We collaborated closely with the University and Arboretum staff to ensure that the chosen route provides access to many existing tree collections, research areas and other spaces now accessible to staff and visitors.

Created a bridge to travel over the eroding steep slopes, which were stabilized to prevent future erosion.
Provided a natural route that minimized soil export and takes advantage of the rolling hills and beautiful scenery.
Utilized geo-grid base reinforcement to minimize the amount of soil corrections, which also saved the Arboretum over $375,000 in construction costs.