Minneapolis residents could soon be walking high above the Mississippi River if plans for a new bridge go forward. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) released a feasibility report on January 4, exploring the potential of building a structure dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists stretching from North to Northeast Minneapolis, parallel to the gnarly bones of the old BNSF Railway Bridge.
The proposal, still in its nascence, aims to seamlessly connect the two communities, offering an alternative to the 140-year-old railroad relic. The bridge would line up with the Great Northern Greenway, linking key parts of the city in what could become a new urban trekker's delight. The newly published report goes to great lengths to lay out the groundwork for the project, assessing structural types, surrounding landscapes, and the financial crunch that goes into stacking one beam on top of another.
But it's not just about connecting point A to point B. According to the feasibility report, a spanking new bridge would solve a raft of issues tied to retrofitting the existing railway bridge, including cost, the drudgery of negotiation, and delivering a subpar experience for folks on foot or two wheels.
The MPRB is gearing up to roll out Open House events, set to unfold later this winter, where locals can hop in to share their visions and concerns about the bridge.
Money talks in bridge building as in everything else, and the MPRB is punching the calculator to come up with a target project cost that'll hopefully fit the bill. They'll turn the numbers crunched in the feasibility study into a concept that aims to balance dreams with reality.
