Mississippi East Bank Trail Update from MPRB
Via a November 23 Minneapolis Park and Rec Board e-newsletter:
Construction bids solicited this winter, work begins in spring
The Mississippi East Bank Trail project will be bid in early January 2016. Construction begins as soon as weather permits spring 2016 and the multi-use trail will be open to the public by Sept. 1, 2016.
The trail will begin at Boom Island Park. Its route weaves north through the Scherer site, Graco property and Sheridan Memorial Park. Then it curves east at the BNSF railroad tracks near 16th Avenue NE and terminates near the 1600 block Marshall Street NE. The project page contains an updated map of the trail route.
The concept plan for the trail was approved by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation (MPRB) Board of Commissioners in December 2014 after a community engagement process. The necessary easements through the Graco property and parcel purchases from BNSF railroads were completed during the summer 2015. The federal government authorized the project for bidding in September 2015.
Trail alignment through the Scherer site was modified in July 2015 to accommodate other planned projects. The MPRB will soon seek development proposals for Parcel D located along the east and north edges of the former Scherer Brothers property. The MPRB is also working to obtain permits to reconstruct Hall’s Island in the Mississippi River, a 2017-2018 project involving extensive earth moving and re-grading.
Please visit minneapolispark.org/planning to find more information on this project and other planning projects.
About this project
The Mississippi East Bank Trail is a capital improvement project located along the east bank of the Mississippi River in Above the Falls Regional Park. In 2012, the project was awarded $1 million in federal funding through the Transportation, Community and System Preservation program. The new .75 mile multi-use trail will form one segment in a series of trail loops envisioned by RiverFIRST, linking the east and west banks of the Mississippi and providing access to the river for adjacent neighborhoods.
Contact:
Deb Bartels
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
Phone: 612-230-6438
Email: dbartels@minneapolisparks.org
Reader Comments