ST. PETER — Proponents of a bike trail between St. Peter and Mankato couldn’t show visiting state lawmakers a planned route, because they don’t have one.
But they could show unity. They’ve got plenty of that.
Six local governments support the $400,000 request for state funding to study and design a trail between the two cities. And a homeowners association on Lake Washington has expressed interest in connecting to the trail.
St. Peter Community Development Director Russ Wille and Mankato counterpart Paul Vogel were both on hand at St. Peter’s Mill Pond Park — the proposed northern trailhead — to explain the trail proposal and ask for state help. Those cities are joined by North Mankato and the counties of Nicollet, Blue Earth and Le Sueur in formally backing the funding request.
That broad support comes partly from the fact that the route is still to be determined. If it goes on the west side of the Minnesota River, it will serve Nicollet County’s Seven Mile Creek Park and tie directly into existing Mankato and North Mankato riverside trails. If it goes on the east side of the Minnesota River, it will serve the Le Sueur County town of Kasota and possibly the Kasota Prairie preservation area.
“There have been roughly three plans developed, mostly by student groups,” Wille told members of the House Capital Investment Committee.
One sticks mostly to Highway 22, one is between the river and Highway 22, and one is on the west side of the river and uses an old roadway along the river bluff. A Minnesota State Mankato class did extensive research into a west bank route that sticks more closely to the river.
Vogel told lawmakers that the MSU group estimated construction costs, including wetland mitigation, of about $2.2 million. But Vogel said the trail would advance the existing state goal of ultimately building a trail along the length of the Minnesota River, while also connecting to a growing network of trails in and around Mankato.
For the complete Free Press story, go to http://www.mankatofreepress.com/local/local_story_295223553.html
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