New bike trail to link Lake Nokomis with Minnesota River

Fat Lorenzo’s owner concerned about safety along Cedar

by Tesha M. Christensen

In a few years, bicyclists will be able to hop on a trail and ride from Lake Nokomis to the Minnesota River.

Portions of the 7-mile Intercity Regional Trail are slated for construction in 2014. Right now, planners are accepting comments on the design.

“The Intercity Regional Trail will expand opportunities for safe recreation and commuting. It will provide convenient, off-street trail connections to the Three Rivers Park District regional trail system via the Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail (which is nearing completion), as well as to the future state trail in the Minnesota River Valley. Trail users also will be able to connect to the Mall of America,” said Jason McGrew-King of the Three Rivers Park District.

The Intercity Regional Trail will begin on the south side of Lake Nokomis, connecting the Minneapolis Ground Rounds trail system to the Minnesota River in Dakota County through the cities of Minneapolis, Richfield, and Bloomington.

Like the other regional trails operated by the Three Rivers Park District, the Intercity Regional Trail will be a paved, multi-use trail surface with mowed grass shoulders, according to McGrew-King. The majority of the 10-foot-wide, asphalt trail parallel existing city streets.

“In Minneapolis, trail users will have good vantage points of Lake Nokomis. Also in Minneapolis, Edward Solomon Park offers natural areas and opportunities for passive recreation,” McGrew-King pointed out. “Taft Park in Richfield offers a great deal of recreational opportunities, and Taft Lake will be undergoing significant water quality improvements. In Bloomington, the trail also will travel near Wright’s Lake Park. Further south, the trail will provide views of the Minnesota River Valley.”

In some areas, the trail will travel through an urban environment and will provide access to employment centers, shopping and restaurants, and will offer connections to mass transit, McGrew-King added.

There will be rest stops every mile.

FEDERAL FUNDS WILL HELP PAY FOR CONSTRUCTION

Most of the trail is not yet constructed, although there are a few pieces already in place. Work will begin on 3.8 miles between Lake Nokomis and the Mall of America in 2014, courtesy of a Federal Surface Transportation Program grant in the amount of $5.5 million.

The trail segment between the Mall of America and Minnesota River will be constructed as resources are available and when the Minnesota Valley State Trail or a feasible and acceptable crossing of Long Meadow Pond is complete.

It will cost $348,000 for the portion of the trail in Minneapolis, which includes not only the cost of the trail but also that of modifying Old Cedar and Edgewater Blvd. The total project will cost an estimated $8,994,000, of which $630,000 is for right-of-way; the majority of this tab will be paid by federal funds. The annual cost of maintenance for the new section of trail will be about $817, and will come out of the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation budget.

The bill did look larger for Minneapolis in the initial planning process, when it was proposed to replace the pedestrian bridge on Cedar to minimize vehicular conflicts and limit right-of-way. That option is no longer on the table.

CHANGES AT EDGEWATER AND OLD CEDAR

Changes in the area will affect how traffic moves. To make the trail crossing shorter, Edgewater Blvd. will be narrowed at the Cedar Ave. intersection to minimize the distance trail users will need to cross the street and better define the roadway intersection for motorists.

 The entrance to Old Cedar Avenue from Cedar Avenue southbound will be reconfigured and will include a longer deceleration lane. Old Cedar Avenue will remain one-way southbound until 58th Street E. Old Cedar will be narrowed and one lane of parking removed. This will create separate walking and trail facilities, and include a 4-foot grass boulevard between the trail and sidewalk, adequate space for snow storage and space for loading/unloading of parked vehicles on Cedar Avenue.

NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS

Fat Lorenzo’s owner Scott Siegel is skeptical that these changes will make the area safe enough for bicyclists. “I don’t know why you’d want to put a bike on Cedar,” he said. “I look at Cedar as a freeway. People drive fast around here.”

Instead, Siegel thinks the trail should go down 16th Ave. S.

Siegel pointed out that Edgewater is a busy, uncontrolled intersection, one at which he already sees bicyclists injured at on a regular basis. ‘The reality is they’re not going to stop the cars,” Siegel said. He has advocated for turning Edgewater into a cul-de-sac to help solve some of the traffic woes. Siegel wishes that the parks department will convert the open space between Edgewater and the Lake Nokomis Parkway into a parking lot.

He noted that people use Old Cedar and Edgewater more than the parkway, both for travel and parking. Siegel is concerned about removing one lane of parking on Old Cedar, pointing out it will not only affect his customers and attendees at Hope Lutheran Church, but also those who use the existing trails around Lake Nokomis.

As proposed, the trail will mean that half the sidewalk in front of his door will be taken away. Access into his business and space for outdoor seating is a major concern for Siegel.

He’s hoping for another neighborhood meeting at which to address his concerns, and those he’s heard from other residents. “I don’t think there’s a lot of neighborhood support,” Siegel stated.

COMMENT ON THE PLAN

The public has the opportunity to provide comments from April 2 through May 1; written comments may be submitted by e-mail to ICRT@ThreeRiversParkDistrict.org, by fax to 763-557-5248, or by mail to: Three Rivers Park District, Intercity Regional Trail, 3000 Xenium Lane N., Plymouth, MN 55441. Final trail design is expected to begin in late fall or early winter.

This story printed in the May 2012 edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.