Northwest Greenway in Plymouth moves forward, with construction expected next spring

After nearly 15 years of planning and acquiring land, Plymouth's Northwest Greenway is nearing reality.

Plans for a 350-acre wooded nature preserve with winding bike and pedestrian trails are moving forward, with the city expected to approve construction bids on the first 1-mile section of trail this winter. Construction is expected to start next spring, with the trail opening to bikers and pedestrians next fall.

"It will be one of the jewels in the park system in Plymouth," said Diane Evans, the parks and recreation director. "It's an important part of why people move to Plymouth."

Originally planned to begin this year, construction was postponed to get more public input and to open bids in the winter to save money, the city says.

Next spring, construction is expected to start on the 1-mile, 12-foot-wide trail that will go eastward from Vicksburg Lane to near Juneau Lane.

In addition, a trail bridge will be built over Vicksburg Lane, and a trail head and parking lot will be added along Cheshire Parkway near the Trillium Woods development.

The trail system will be built over the years in phases, but Evans said it could be complete within five years. In 2016, the trail is expected to be built from Vicksburg Lane westward. Other sections branching off it and a reconstructed boardwalk below County Road 47 are also in the plans.

"We really want to make it an amenity for our community in Plymouth and beyond," said City Council Member Judy Johnson, whose ward contains the greenway. She added that many of the workers who commute to Plymouth could use the trail to bike to their jobs, connecting to other trail systems throughout the metro.

Johnson was on the City Council back in 2000, when the city began discussing the idea of preserving wetlands and wildlife areas in the northwest side of the city as it was becoming developed. In 2006, voters approved a $9 million referendum request for the city to buy 2.5 miles of wetlands and trees and do construction.

Every year, the city added more land either by buying properties or acquiring land as a byproduct of new development. By 2009, the city said it had acquired about half the land it needed for the project. Now, Evans said the city has fewer than 5 acres left to acquire before the approximately 350 acres of the nature corridor is complete, preserving it from any future development.

"If we had developed Plymouth in a different era, we wouldn't have done this," Johnson said. "It's a great legacy."

Kelly Smith • 612-673-4141