Shaping the Mississippi River Trail corridor

This event is from 2012. For other upcoming presentations or activities you may be interested in, please see our calendar.  

For months the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has been working with local planning firm Bonestroo/Stantec Inc. to refine, market and plan further improvements to the Mississippi River Trail or MRT.

The MRT is an on- and off-road bicycle and related pedestrian trail system that will someday connect the Mississippi headwaters at Lake Itasca to the river's Gulf of Mexico outlet. In conjunction with local communities, MnDOT oversees planning and implementation for Minnesota's 500-mile stretch of the MRT. Currently, the trail is only partially marked, however MnDOT expects to implement a full trail signage system in the next year as well as many other improvements.

A series of meetings is being held across the state to share revised plans for the corridor's route and related improvements, share ideas on how to capitalize on the trail as a source of tourism and economic development, and assess interest in a series of six targeted rides to highlight the corridor early in 2012. The meetings are aimed at business owners and promoters, economic development and tourism officials, local government officials, community members, bike advocates and anyone else interested in the Mississippi River.

Learn more at the Twin Cities meeting Tuesday, November 1, 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Bonestroo/Stantec Inc., 2335 West Highway 36, St. Paul. Additional information on this and the Winona, Grand Rapids and St. Cloud meetings is available on the event flyer and on MnDOT's MRT page.