Efforts to stabilize the eroding bluff and repair the deteriorated Winchell Trail in the Mississippi River Gorge are scheduled to begin Monday, September 17. Work will be focused in three areas along West River Parkway: at and just south of 24th Street, at 25th Street, and at and north of 42nd Street. The Winchell Trail at 24th and 25th Streets will be closed beginning September 17. Between 38th and 44th Streets, the pedestrian-only trail merges with the Winchell Trail and will be closed for the duration of the project. The adjacent bicycle trail will serve as a combined trail and occasionally be temporarily re-routed to accommodate truck traffic. Intermittently through November, the pedestrian trails at 24th and 25th Streets and the bike trails adjacent to the parkway in the construction areas will be closed for short periods of time. Bikers and pedestrians are asked to be alert to, and abide by, detour signage.
It is anticipated that work will focus on only one location at a time, with the project scheduled to be completed (subject to weather and construction schedules) in the spring of ’08. Pending confirmation of funding, a second phase of this project is tentatively scheduled for spring and summer ’08. This will focus on the north part of the section between 42nd and 38th Streets where the first phase left off at approximately 40th Street. Stabilization measures similar to those used in the first phase will be implemented in the second phase.
The Winchell Trail threads its way below the bluff in the Mississippi River gorge from Franklin Ave south to 44th Street. Developed in the 1930s, the pedestrian trail is largely unpaved, and erosion has interrupted it in places. Numerous informal paths have been created to create continuity and alternative routes through the gorge. With sections of the trail being repaired and the eroding slopes stabilized as money becomes available, efforts have also been underway to close and revegetate these unofficial pathways.
At 42nd Street
Between 38th and 42nd Streets, where the Winchell Trail doubles as the pedestrian-only path along the parkway, the trail has been paved. It is greatly deteriorated due to erosion, sagging and on the verge of washing out in places. In the area just north of 42nd Street, a combination of bituminous trail and concrete bridges will replace the old trail; new railing will replace the existing chain-link fence. Buckthorn and other invasive species will be removed from the slope between the trail and the top of the bluff. New trees and a native seed mix will be planted. An erosion control blanket, which is 100% biodegradable, will hold the new topsoil in place until the new native plants are well established.
WPA-era, limestone retaining walls in this area are still largely intact, supporting the trail in many areas. They will remain in place and repaired where necessary.
At 25th Street
The Winchell Trail below 25th Street is supported by a retaining wall. This wall will be extended approximately 140 feet to the south, and new railing will replace the existing fencing and extend the length of the wall. A four-foot limestone—in keeping with the natural and historic character of the gorge—retaining wall will be built on the parkway side of the trail. Above the wall, the badly eroded slope will be filled in and held in place with a geo web. New trees and the native seed mix will be planted here as well.
At 24th Street
A section of the pedestrian-only path atop the bluff will be replaced just south of 24th Street. Just below this section of sidewalk, a new retaining wall will be built. The slope down to the Winchell Trail will then be stabilized with rip rap (large stones), geoweb and planting.
The Mississippi River Gorge bluff stabilization is being funded by the Mississippi Watershed Management Association. It is a Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board project that lies in the 3rd and 4th Park Districts, represented by Commissioners Scott Vreeland and Carol Kummer respectively. Engineering and design have been completed by Barr Engineering Company; the contractor is Park Construction Company. For further information contact project manager Deb Boyd at 612-230-6460.
