Midtown Greenway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Grade Separation
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Midtown Greenway Trail, looking west from beneath the Uptown Transit Center.
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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| Built | 2000 |
| Architect | Charles Fredrick Loweth, H.C. Lothholz |
| MPS | Reinforced-Concrete Highway Bridges in Minnesota MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000508 |
| Added to NRHP | June 1, 2005 |
The Midtown Greenway is a cool trail in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It's about 5.7-mile (9.2 km) long and is a special path just for bikes and walkers.
People use it for fun, like biking or running, and also to get to work or school. It runs east-west, mostly below street level, so you're away from cars. It's a great place for cyclists, inline skaters, runners, and walkers to enjoy the city safely.
Contents
History of the Greenway Trail
The Greenway follows an old train track route. This track used to belong to the Milwaukee Road railway. Part of it, west of Hiawatha Avenue, was no longer used by trains. But the eastern part is still active today for the Minnesota Commercial Railway.
From Train Tracks to Trail
The original train line was built a long time ago, between 1879 and 1881. As more trains used it, the city of Minneapolis decided to build a special trench in 1910. This trench helped trains avoid crossing busy streets at ground level. The trench, bridges, and walls were later recognized as important historical structures. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. In 1993, the county bought the old railroad property.
Building the Greenway in Phases
The Midtown Greenway was built in several stages:
- Phase One opened in August 2000. It started near 31st Street and Chowen Avenue. This part runs between Lake of the Isles and Bde Maka Ska.
- Phase Two opened in November 2004. This section went from 5th Avenue to Hiawatha Avenue.
- Phase Three opened in September 2006. This completed the trail all the way to the Mississippi River.
- Phase Four opened in fall 2007. This was a big step! The new Martin Olav Sabo Bridge was built. It safely carries the Greenway over the busy Hiawatha Avenue, so people no longer have to cross seven lanes of traffic.
Exploring the Greenway Today
The Greenway usually has two one-way lanes for bikes and a two-way path for walking. In some spots, where space is tight, they might be combined. Because the corridor is historic, it's hard to make it much wider.
What You'll See Along the Way
The Greenway starts near Lake Street. It connects to the Kenilworth Trail. It then heads east, crossing Dean Parkway on a bridge. You'll ride or walk between Bde Maka Ska and Lake of the Isles, even crossing a channel that connects the two lakes.
The trail goes into a trench, passing under many bridges. As of 2019, 20 of these bridges were built in 1916 or earlier! It crosses Hiawatha Avenue on the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge. The trail continues east, crossing Minnehaha Avenue and other local streets. It eventually leaves the old railroad path and ends at West River Parkway.
Connecting to Other Trails
The Midtown Greenway is like a hub for other trails:
- To the west, it connects to the Southwest LRT Trail. This trail will share space with a future light rail line.
- It also links to the Kenilworth Trail. This trail can take you to the Cedar Lake Trail, which leads to downtown Minneapolis and western suburbs.
- Near the Sabo Bridge, the Greenway connects to the Little Earth Trail.
- On the east side of the Sabo Bridge, it connects to the Hiawatha LRT Trail. This trail goes to Downtown East and Minnehaha Regional Park.
- To the far east, the Greenway connects to West River Parkway. This is part of the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway, which runs along the Mississippi River.
Bike Services on the Greenway
The Freewheel Bike Center opened in May 2008. It's located near where the Greenway crosses Chicago Avenue, at the Midtown Exchange. This center has a bike store, a repair shop, and even showers and lockers.
More and more people are using the Greenway! Bike traffic increased by 261% between 2003 and 2011.
Future Plans for the Greenway
There are ideas for a fifth phase of the Greenway. This would extend the trail across the Mississippi River. Planners hoped to use the Short Line Bridge to St. Paul. However, the railway company that owns the bridge hasn't agreed yet. Also, engineers are looking into how safe the bridge would be for trail users.
There are also plans to possibly use the Greenway path for a streetcar line in the future. The Greenway Coalition, a group that supports the trail, likes this idea.
Images for kids
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A small community garden along the greenway in the Uptown area of Minneapolis shows some blooming bulbs in early spring of 2006.
