Great Northern Greenway: The other pedestrian/bicycle river crossing worth having

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As the reporter who first brought the concept of what became the Midtown Greenway to Twin Cities readers in 1994, I applaud the Star Tribune's editorial endorsement (Aug. 26) of expanding this visionary recreational and redevelopment venue into St. Paul.

I'm a frequent cyclist on the Greenway. I've watched the greenway vision of public figures like Mark Andrew, George Puzak, Peter McLaughlin and Lisa McDonald create both public spaces and private housing development that builds the city's tax base.

But there's another cross-city Minneapolis greenway that's equally deserving of the Star Tribune's support for a river crossing. That's the Great Northern Greenway, which links Wirth Parkway on the North Side with the Quarry shopping center in Northeast.

This side-path greenway is complete on the North Side along 26th Avenue N. It leads pedestrians and cyclists to a recent finished overlook at the Mississippi River. A connection from there to downstream park trails is about to go to bid. The Northeast section is nearly complete as a side-path along 18th Avenue NE, pending its completion at two small gaps.

But the biggest gap for the Great Northern Greenway is crossing the Mississippi River. As with the Midtown Greenway, the easiest way for the Great Northern Greenway would be to share a railroad crossing. But railroads are subject to regulation only at the federal level, and are rightly concerned about liability and safety. One bright spot is that the BNSF, owner of the most logical crossing, is considering allowing the connection to downriver trails to be routed under its river bridge.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is moving toward authorizing a study that will assess the feasibility of a new bridge to connect the overlook area and Park Board-owned land on the East Bank. This will complement the Legislature's directive to the Metropolitan Council to study the possibility of extending the Midtown Greenway over the Short Line bridge to St. Paul.

Railroads elsewhere have been able to accommodate sharing their structures with recreational users. The Appalachian Trail crosses the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry, W. Va., on a CSX freight bridge. In Portland, Ore., a bike path is cantilevered alongside the Union Pacific's Steel Bridge, which also serves commuter rail and motor vehicles.

The biggest obstacle to crossing the river may be regulatory. Several state and federal agencies have jurisdiction over river crossings. The management plan for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area discourages new river crossings except where using existing crossings isn't feasible. Negotiating this with the National Park Service will require skill and creativity.

But with the chance to fulfill the dreams of recreational users in both the north and southern halves of the Minneapolis, we hope that the Star Tribune will embrace both river crossings.

Steve Brandt is a retired Star Tribune reporter and a core member of the Great Northern Greenway Coalition. He is also an elected member of the Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation.