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Park Board approves last parkway system link <br />Page I oi'2 <br />26 <br />StarTribune.corn MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL, MINNESOTA <br />Park Board approves last parkway system link <br />By STEVE BRANDT, Star Tribune <br />September 5, 2008 <br />A proposal to complete the missing East Side link of the Minneapolis parkway system <br />has been approved by the Park Board, marking a historic point after decades of failed <br />proposals. <br />This week's decision allows park officials to compete for state and federal money to help <br />design and build the 3 -mile link. <br />The proposal was submitted last spring by an advisory committee the board appointed <br />last year to recommend how to fill in a gap between St. Anthony Parkway and E. River <br />Road. That job has eluded generations of park planners. <br />"I'm glad that the plan was finally accomplished after attempts were made many times <br />over the years," said Commissioner Walt Dziedzic, who represents the area. <br />The board deleted a controversial bike link along Stinson Parkway that many area <br />residents opposed. It would have provided a secondary link between St. Anthony and <br />Ridgway parkways. <br />A proposed park area along the St. Paul border at the Kasota ponds also was deleted; <br />park staff was directed to work to minimize impacts on the ponds. The board also said it <br />will work with Prospect Park residents on traffic impacts that focus on 27th Avenue SE. <br />Advisory committee Chairman John Erwin said it is likely to take 20 years to complete the <br />plan. It generally follows current streets, although they're expected to be reconfigured, <br />and adds new parks at strategic locations, especially in the eastern Como neighborhood. <br />Construction generally is expected to be staged from the north end, finishing on the south <br />end. <br />But Erwin said that it's reasonable to expect that the northernmost segment, St. Anthony <br />Parkway between Stinson and Interstate 35W, could be rebuilt with new paths, lighting <br />and other amenities, in five years. That passes through the city of St. Anthony. <br />From north to south, the route also follows Industrial Boulevard to E. Hennepin Avenue, <br />Weeks Avenue, and 29th Avenue SE. It dives under the Burlington Northern tracks to <br />Kasota Avenue SE and then bridges over the southeast rail yard to hook up with the <br />city's planned Granary Road, cutting south at 27th to the river. <br />Steve Brandt • 612-673-4438 <br />© 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. <br />http://www.startribuiie.com/templates/Print_ This_Story?sid=27940479 9/16/2008 <br />