Minneapolis to give popular Midtown Greenway an asphalt do-over

Supporters of the Midtown Greenway hope one other strive at resurfacing the heralded bike path in south Minneapolis will lead to a much-smoother path than final yr’s try.

Town resurfaced about half of the 5.5-mile bike and pedestrian thoroughfare final summer season, utilizing a less-costly approach referred to as “microsurfacing.” However some Greenway supporters stated the job was “botched” and referred to as the ensuing pebbly and uneven floor “embarrassing” and “crap.”

The Midtown Greenway Coalition, a Minneapolis nonprofit that helps the path, promptly launched a petition titled “Redo the Repaving,” drawing 2,268 signatures.

“I assume advocacy works,” stated Soren Jensen, the coalition’s government director, who was notified final week of the town’s intent to repave the floor utilizing common asphalt. “I am certain we’ll find yourself with a a lot smoother path floor.”

The portion to be repaved hyperlinks the western terminus of the path close to Bde Maka Ska and Lake of the Isles to its midpoint in south Minneapolis.

Metropolis spokesman Casper Hill stated a timeline for the resurfacing venture hadn’t but been established and that he did not understand how a lot the second spherical of paving will price. Town would not need to promote publicly for bids, nor does the job need to be accredited by the Metropolis Council, he stated. The primary strive price about $500,000, nicely inside the authentic $1.6 million resurfacing finances.

The coalition’s petition claimed the path’s floor, pocked with tiny stones, was too tough and contained “harmful gaps,” making a jarring journey for cyclists, inline skaters and other people in wheelchairs. “The path is worse now than earlier than Minneapolis Public Works repaved it,” the petition acknowledged.

Some cyclists have taken to utilizing metropolis streets to keep away from the Greenway, it famous, a apply that “is harmful to the general public and a legal responsibility difficulty for the town of Minneapolis.”

Metropolis officers conceded final fall that the outcomes of the microsurfacing approach, which blends a skinny layer of asphalt emulsion with crushed stone, have been disappointing. Nevertheless it was unclear at the moment whether or not a redo was within the works.

The Greenway is owned by the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority, however the metropolis is accountable for sustaining it. Constructed alongside a former railroad hall, the primary section of the Greenway opened in 2001, with the second and closing parts opening in 2004 and 2006, respectively.

The Greenway stops on the Mississippi River on its japanese finish, however the coalition is pushing for a connection into St. Paul over a century-old railroad bridge.

“The Greenway deserves a pleasant, clean path. It is an important commuter path within the area,” Jensen stated.