Midtown Greenway Trail [not the transit thread]

[SurlyLHT]

At $10 million is a bargain given how much was paid for bridges over freeways and for the MN Vikings. I hope St Paul would hold up their end of the bargain and give us somewhere to bike to!

[Anondson]

I’m trying to understand what scenic and ecological harm adding a deck causes?

http://www.startribune.com/midtown-gree ... 511092152/

[Silophant]

It's a change, and Friends of the Mississippi was formed specifically to resist any and all changes to the river.

[minneboom]

Rally to support the effort to Extend the Greenway over the River to Saint Paul. This Sunday, September 15th.

https://www.facebook.com/events/lake-mo ... 462524168/

[alexschief]

The St. Paul Bicycle Coalition posted a video that shows, via stop motion, the potential connection between the Ayd Mill gulch and the Short Line Bridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZftMI3wLHPs

When I was a student at Mac, I actually used to live directly next to the railroad, and so I know how much excess right-of-way there is. But even I was surprised by how uncomplicated that right-of-way appears to be, for essentially the entire length of the connection. The only location that would require an unusual capital expenditure would be crossing Prior Ave, where a short new bridge appears necessary.

I'm not alone in thinking this, but extending the Greenway across the bridge is the keystone to a number of brilliant ideas and projects that have been waiting by the wayside. The proposed Prospect Park Trail to the University and the Greenway extension to Ayd Mill Road would be absolute game changers in terms of expanding access via bicycle across the city.

[mamundsen]

Would there have to be some sort of barrier between the trails and the tracks? Is that extra space for the potential need for emergency assistance? I feel like the freight rail would want something.

[amiller92]

Yeah, unless there is more space that can be cleared of vegetation or something, that actually looked pretty tight to me, especially next to a moving train.

[SurlyLHT]

I saw the video, honestly I'm not sure I would take that route to Downtown St Paul if it were built. Lake St Bridge to Marshall or Summit are more scenic.

[EOst]

On the plus side, it is (compared to the Lake Street bridge and Marshall) super flat.

[alexschief]

Would there have to be some sort of barrier between the trails and the tracks? Is that extra space for the potential need for emergency assistance? I feel like the freight rail would want something.

I'm sure it'd be just like the Greenway east of Hiawatha, where a fence separates the tracks from the trail. It should be mentioned that there's currently no barrier and people walk or jog along the rail all the time, as you can see in the video.

Yeah, unless there is more space that can be cleared of vegetation or something, that actually looked pretty tight to me, especially next to a moving train.

If it's tighter than the Greenway east of Hiawatha, it's only by a couple of feet. Via Google, I measure the bridge over Snelling as 40', and I measure the bridge over 36th Ave S as 44'.

I saw the video, honestly I'm not sure I would take that route to Downtown St Paul if it were built. Lake St Bridge to Marshall or Summit are more scenic.

Less direct and less beautiful mansions, but safer and with less traffic control. The Greenway is more than a "low-stress" bikeway, it's a stress relieving bikeway. Not having to worry about cars is so liberating. Added bonuses: you could take this not just to downtown, but to Grand or West 7th. Imagine being able to bike from the Midtown Global Market to Keg and Case Market without a single conflict point with cars.

[EOst]

The ROW is much wider than it appears (check it out in Ramsey's property map) but the rail is centered in the ROW. East of Cleveland, a Greenway extension might require rebuilding the northernmost track to serve as a new main line and help buffer the southernmost track (converted to trail) from the rail.

[niaxilin]

The St. Paul Bicycle Coalition posted a video that shows, via stop motion, the potential connection between the Ayd Mill gulch and the Short Line Bridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZftMI3wLHPs

Video has been taken down by the user. Did the railroad pull some legal punches?

[SurlyLHT]

That or it was seen as not helping their cause. Unless they got permission they were trespassing which may not have helped relations.