Dakota County breaks ground on Veteran's Memorial Greenway

Dakota County officials broke ground on the 5-mile Veteran's Memorial Greenway, a paved path that will connect Lebanon Hills Regional Park and the Mississippi River Greenway while honoring the county's veterans.

When finished, it will be the longest Minnesota greenway dedicated to veterans. Dakota County has 22,000 living veterans, the second-highest number among the state's counties, a Dakota County news release said.

The $24 million project, which will be finished in three phases, features eight memorials with different themes as walkers or bikers travel. The memorials are being created with input from a veteran advisory group and focus groups that include Native American veterans.

Themes for the "memorial nodes" include Gold Star families, Native American veterans and Military units and flyers, according to Mary Beth Schubert, Dakota County's spokeswoman.

Lebanon Hills Regional Park and the Mississippi River Greenway are the county's most visited park and greenway. The path will have grade-separated crossings of major roads along the way.

The project, which previously secured $17.5 million in state and county funding, received an additional $10 million in the last two years, which will offset some of the county's costs.