A new stretch of paved trail connecting Sterling Road to Waconia Parkway North is now open in Waconia, closing a gap that links residential streets to Highway 10 and the broader trail network around Lake Waconia. The project was completed through a cooperative effort between the City of Waconia and Carver County Parks, according to the City of Waconia.
The trail link was funded in part through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Recreation Grant Program, which provides 50% matching reimbursement grants to local government units for acquiring and developing local parks and trail connections. Per the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the program caps individual awards between $350,000 and $500,000 depending on state fund allocations, and requires that developed properties remain dedicated to public outdoor recreation in perpetuity.
City and County Officials Behind the Project
Waconia Mayor Tim Litfin and City Administrator Shane Fineran are named among the local officials tied to the completed project, alongside Public Services Director Jon Haukaas. Carver County Commissioner John Fahey, who represents District 4 covering Waconia, also participated in the cooperative effort. Fahey serves as board liaison to the Carver County Community Development Agency, which oversees affordable housing and community infrastructure planning, according to the Carver County Community Development Agency.
Jake Saulsbury served as consultant engineer on the project. Saulsbury is Waconia's designated City Engineer through the civil engineering consulting firm Bolton & Menk, Inc., which provides contract municipal engineering services to several Twin Cities western metro communities, per the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Minnesota House Representative Jim Nash, who represents Waconia and western Carver County, is also connected to the project. Nash previously served two terms as Mayor of Waconia from 2011 to 2014 and two years on the Waconia City Council before his election to the state legislature in 2014, according to the Minnesota House of Representatives record of his background.
Fitting Into a Busy Corridor
The new trail link arrives on the heels of significant roadway work in the same area. Carver County Public Works began a major transportation project along County Road 10 in the summer of 2025, including construction of a new single-lane roundabout at the intersection of County Road 10 and Waconia Parkway North. That project required a full roadway closure through early September 2025, with the roundabout intended to slow traffic and improve safety at the high-volume intersection.
The Sterling Road connection also feeds into a much larger regional network. Carver County manages 12.4 miles of the Dakota Rail Regional Trail within its borders, anchoring a 29-mile paved multi-use corridor that passes near Lake Waconia and connects westward to Lester Prairie in McLeod County and eastward to Wayzata in Hennepin County, according to Carver County Parks. Hoodline previously reported on trail upgrades along that corridor near Lake Waconia.
Growing Demand for Trail Access
The completed link comes amid a period of rising demand for trail and park infrastructure across the county. Carver County regional parks and trails recorded a 28% increase in visitation in 2022, gaining nearly 250,000 additional visits over 2021, driven largely by capital investments and amenity upgrades around Lake Waconia, according to the Metropolitan Council. That surge coincided with major enhancements at Lake Waconia Regional Park, where Carver County Parks built a new Waterfront Service Center featuring event space, restrooms, rental concessions, and improved trail access connecting to Coney Island of the West, a 34-acre historic site listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The state has backed this kind of local investment with substantial capital funding. The Minnesota Legislature and Governor Tim Walz enacted a $114 million funding package in 2023 for metropolitan and statewide regional parks and trails, aimed at expanding land acquisition, building trail connections, and preserving outdoor recreation resources amid post-pandemic surges in trail usage.
As for keeping the new link usable through Minnesota winters, Waconia's municipal winter maintenance policy calls for designated city multi-use trails to be plowed and treated following snowstorms. City guidelines note that trail surfaces do not need to be cleared down to bare pavement during major blizzards, since public safety plowing priorities focus first on major collector streets and public facilities.
