Stimulus funds will improve, extend Carver County bike rail trail

Nearly $3.5 million in federal stimulus funds will go to the scenic Dakota Rail Trail project to build bridges over two busy roads and continue trail construction westward into Carver County.

Carver's goal is to build the next 6.7 miles of trail to Mayer by the end of next year. With that extension the trail will connect the two biggest lakes in the metro area -- Lake Minnetonka and Lake Waconia.

The federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will deliver $318 million to the metro area for this and other transportation-related improvements.

After earlier earmarking some of the money for the extension of the Hwy. 610 North Crosstown, the Metropolitan Council on Wednesday divided the remaining $250 million among more than 40 smaller road, trail and bridge projects.

The council awarded $2.8 million to Three Rivers Park District to build Dakota Rail Trail bridges over Hwy. 7 and County Road 92 near St. Bonifacius. And it awarded $550,000 to help Carver County with a $2.1 million extension of the trail west from Hwy. 7.

Other trail projects receiving money included a bike-pedestrian bridge over the Minnesota River between Shako-pee and Eden Prairie ($1.3 million); a bridge taking the Gateway Trail over Hwy. 120 between North St. Paul and Oakdale ($1.3 million) and the Cedar Lake Trail in downtown Minneapolis ($1.2 million).

Using $700,000 of its own funds, Three Rivers plans to start construction of the Dakota Rail Trail bridges in August and finish them in January, said Boe Carlson, associate superintendent for Three Rivers.

Carver may start trail construction later this year, but definitely by 2010, said Carver Park Director Marty Walsh. The public may view construction plans from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 18 at Mayer Community Center.

Nearly $600 million in federal recovery funds will come to Minnesota for transportation improvements. That includes $502 million for roads, bridges and trails and about $92 million for transit, said Kevin Roggenbuck, coordinator of the Met Council's Transportation Advisory Board (TAB).

Many of the smaller projects approved Wednesday received money because an expensive new interchange at Interstate Hwy. 494 and Hwy. 169 in Bloomington, Edina and Eden Prairie was dropped from the list after officials from the Federal Highway Administration and the Minnesota Department of Transportation disagreed over its design.

Assuming that MnDOT would direct the stimulus funds, Three Rivers commissioners voted in February to hire Bob McFarlin, the former acting commissioner of MnDOT, to help position the bridge project for approval.

McFarlin, now vice president of corporate, community and public affairs for the Weber Shandwick public relations firm in Bloomington, is also a Met Council member representing the western suburbs.

Ultimately the park district paid him only a few thousand of the $13,000 board members had authorized, Carlson said.

The trail bridge project consists of three parts: a $2.4 million bridge to take the trail over Hwy. 7 near St. Bonifacius; an $800,000 bridge to take the trail over County Road 92 about a quarter mile away; and completion of a blacktop segment between the two bridges at a cost of $350,000.

Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711

Some of the other larger projects also approved Wednesday by the Met Council included:

• Replacing the Lowry Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River, $10 million

• Realigning and widening county Hwys. 10 and 101 in Maple Grove, $3 million

• Rebuilding Akron Avenue in Rosemount, $2.9 million

• Building a bridge and retaining walls for the County Road 83 overpass of I-35 in Washington County, $5 million

• Reconstructing a pedestrian bridge and staircase tower near Wabasha Street in St. Paul, $1.9 million