Work appears likely to begin in mid-July on a $1.4 million missing link in the Rum River Regional Trail in Anoka.

The City Council has approved the design of the quarter-mile segment and is expected to give the go-ahead Monday, said Public Services Director/Engineer Greg Lee.

The 10- to 12-foot-wide concrete trail will run along the Rum River through partly developed River Front Park.

The construction will be funded by the city and by a $760,000 federal transportation grant, Lee said. Trail and park features will include a large rain garden with white river birch and two river overlooks, he said.

Lee said the multimodal trail section was ranked fourth-highest among 57 federal grant applications reviewed by a Metropolitan Council panel, partly because it will help connect downtown to the Northstar train station. The link completes the Rum River Trail, which, at its south end, also connects to streets and roads designated as part of the Mississippi River national bike trail, Lee said.

JIM ADAMS

@stribjim