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Dakota Rail Trail In Design Phase
Federal funding has been approved and work is expected to begin on the Dakota Rail Trail in Carver County in 2010, according to Carver County Parks Director Martin Walsh.
The first six-mile section from Mayer to the east county line, is in the preliminary design phase, with construction planned for 2010. Construction of the second six-mile section, which runs from Mayer, through New Germany, to the west county line, is expected to begin in 2012.
Walsh said the trail surface will be asphalt, which will not only attract the greatest number of trail users, but is consistent with the requirements of the federal transportation enhancement funding grants, which amount to about $1 million for each six-mile section.
When complete, the trail could link New Germany and Mayer to the western suburbs and to cities in McLeod County, and will provide a variety of recreational opportunities.
According to the master plan prepared by Carver County and approved in August 2007, the trail, which extends 12.4 miles across the norther part of the county, will be developed as “a multi-use trail that will compliment Carver County’s existing trail system.”
When complete, the trail will be suitable for bicycling, walking, running, in-line skating, dog walking, and other non-motorized uses. During the winter months, the trail may be open to snowmobile use if cities, townships, and county allow this, according to the plan.
No other motor vehicles will be allowed on the trail. Equestrian use will also be prohibited, because demand is low, and because the trail is near the Luce Line horse trail.
The county purchased the portion of the Dakota Rail corridor within Carver County in 2001.
The corridor generally has a 100-foot right-of-way, but the right-of-way widens to 300 feet in Mayer and 250 feet in New Germany. Both cities have expressed interest in creating community focal points along the trail, and the wider right-of-way provides adequate space for this.
These focal points could include facilities such as parking areas, rest rooms, information centers, picnic areas, and other amenities for trail users.
In addition to the federal grants, the Metropolitan Council will also provide funding for the trail, according to the plan.
The rails and ties were removed from the corridor in 2004 and 2005, and the current state of the trail is “undeveloped, uneven, and overgrown, with trestle structures that lack railings or solid decking,” according to the plan. Carver County has posted the trail as closed to public use until it can be developed.
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