Hot on the trail from South St. Paul to Hastings

Start pedaling in South St. Paul and keep on going to Hastings. On the way, take in some Mississippi River vistas from the seat of your bicycle as you cruise along a paved trail.

If all goes according to plan, that trip will be possible by 2015.

The Mississippi River Regional Trail is snaking its way along Dakota County's northeastern edge as grants roll in to pay for construction.

Nine miles on the northern end, through South St. Paul and into Inver Grove Heights, will be open before the summer's end. In Hastings, city trails already are awaiting connection, and the county is building 3.4 miles from there north through Nininger Township.

When it's completed, the multimillion-dollar trail will offer hikers and bikers a paved, 27-mile route.

"We're excited about it," said Bruce Blair, manager of facility development with Dakota County's Parks and Open Space Department. "Trail mileage is starting to come out of the pipeline now."

Last week, the county board approved a portion of the trail route in southern Inver Grove Heights that had previously been a sticking point.

Instead of running the trail along the east or west sides of Inver Grove Trail, which would have put it within 32 feet of one house or within 36 feet of another, the trail will veer off the road and skirt the undeveloped shore of Park Lake.

The lakeside alignment is more expensive than keeping the trail along the road, but commissioners and county staff members agreed it was safer, had the support of residents and offered more pleasing scenery.

Putting the trail along the road would cost $223,975 on the west side or $337,550 on the east side. Choosing the lake route bumps the price up to $464,450 to $714,450, depending on how the trail maneuvers around a railroad.

"Yes, it's the more expensive route, but I think we only get one chance at this and we want to do it right," said Commissioner Nancy Schouweiler, whose district includes Inver Grove Heights.

The plan still needs approval from the Inver Grove Heights City Council.

Federal grants have been the primary source of money to build the trail, adding up to more than $6 million of the total $8 million to $9 million pricetag.

The discussion of the segment of trail in Inver Grove Heights is just one example of the type of planning that goes into each segment of the trail as it snakes along roads, private property and parks, Blair said.

One controversial unfinished segment can hurt the entire project.

"If it's not continuous, you diminish its value," Blair said. "It takes an enormous amount of process to figure it out."

Funding for all but a one-half-mile segment of the trail, estimated to cost about $150,000, has been identified.

Planning and construction of the middle segments will continue in phases until the trail is finished.

When the Mississippi River Regional Trail is complete, bikers and hikers will be able to wind along the river from urban areas to Pine Bend Bluffs State Natural Area and through Spring Lake Park Reserve.

"That five miles of trail through the park will be fabulous," Blair said. "There's a lot to look forward to."

Katie Humphrey • 952-882-9056