Get ready to strap on those helmets and lace up those walking shoes, because the Nokomis-Hiawatha Regional Park is getting some fancy trail improvements this spring. For those who’ve felt the frustration of a less-than-smooth bike trail or the confusion of an ill-placed sign, relief is on the horizon. According to official info from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, last fall’s trail segments are gearing up for some final touches, including new striping and fresh signs to keep cyclists and pedestrians heading in the right direction.
Highlights from the update include a new bike lane circling west of Amelia Pond, and a snazzy trail by Cedar Avenue for those who’ve been dodging traffic near the Cedar/Edgewater/Lake Nokomis Parkway intersection. Let’s not forget the newbie trail crossing at 22nd Avenue and Lake Nokomis Parkway that’s gonna make the trek to the community center a breeze. And for those with a dramatic flair, the new pedestrian bridge over Minnehaha Creek by Lake Hiawatha, scheduled for a May debut, is going to be quite the spectacle – picture a crane hoisting bridge pieces into place like Legos. Theatrics aside, it’s infrastructure week, folks. Believe it.
But wait, there’s more. The park board isn’t done yet; the 2025 blueprint is adding in a couple of extra segments just when we thought they were pulling the curtain. A shared-use trail to connect Shoreview and 54th Street Triangle Park to West Lake Nokomis Parkway has been thrown into the mix. They’re also giving the existing bike trail on the south side of Minnehaha Parkway a facelift with a mill and overlay job from Cedar Avenue to the Lake Nokomis Community Center. As for the greenery, turf restoration and tree planting, all disrupted by the construction, shall be back in prime shape by June – weather gods permitting, of course…