A new segment of the Minnesota Valley State Trail through Bloomington is forthcoming, as federal funding was recently approved to support an extension between Nine Mile Creek and Lyndale Avenue. (Submitted graphic)
A new segment of the Minnesota Valley State Trail through Bloomington is forthcoming, as federal funding was recently approved to support an extension between Nine Mile Creek and Lyndale Avenue. (Submitted graphic)
A new segment of the paved trail along Bloomington’s Minnesota River Valley has received $2.35 million in federal funding.
The Minnesota Valley State Trail segment will extend the existing trail from Lyndale Avenue to Nine Mile Creek through funding included in the 2023 federal budget bill that Congress recently passed, according to the city.
The trail will be constructed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and continue work that began in 2019 toward creating a paved trail spanning 13.5 miles of the river valley. The first segment runs 1.7 miles east of Lyndale Avenue, and final design work for the second segment, extending the trail east to the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge, is underway with funding for the segment in place, the city noted.
The first segment west of Lyndale Avenue will extend the trail approximately 1.6 miles, including a new bridge over Nine Mile Creek and access to the trail through the city’s trail system.
“From the time the first segment in Bloomington opened to users, the usage and demand has exceeded expectations,” Mayor Tim Busse said. “This level of use demonstrates the local community and regional demand for the continued development of these high quality, recreational, multi-use trail facilities.”
The plan to connect the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge with the Bloomington Ferry Bridge along the river valley has been slowly developing during the past several years, more than four decades after it was approved by the state. The trail was authorized by the Minnesota Legislature in 1969 to run from the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers upstream to the city of Le Sueur, for an approximate length of 72 miles.
The river valley has been a recreational outlet for outdoor enthusiasts seeking unpaved trails, particularly off-road bicyclists and runners, some of whom have raised opposition to adding a paved trail through a river valley that is prone to flooding.
The river valley through Bloomington is composed of parcels owned and managed by either the city or the National Wildlife Refuge. The DNR is providing the oversight and construction of the trail through a cooperative agreement with the city and Wildlife Refuge.
Segments of the trail system provide access for hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, mountain biking and snowmobiling through portions of the paved and unpaved areas of the river valley. Snowmobiling is prohibited in Bloomington, and the paved trail meets Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, according to the city.
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