Bike 'Freeway' Connects St. Louis Park to Mississippi River

With the completion of a final 1.1 mile stretch earlier this spring, the Cedar Lake Trail is now officially complete, with the route connecting St. Louis Park to the Mississippi River.

A ribbon cutting ceremony for the final stretch was held Tuesday evening in Minneapolis. Planners are lauding the completed trail as the nation's first bike "freeway."

"The last extension was pricey, with retaining walls (and) private property owners, and it was full of political hurdles, but I think the city's very proud of it, and I know we've saved lives," David Klopp of the Cedar Lake Park Association told the Star Tribune. "I don't think it's safe to put cars, trucks and bicycles on the same road."

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak was on hand for the cermony, and also celebrated the accomplishment via his Twitter account:

Just cut ribbon on CedarLakeBikeTrail connection to river via TargetField.#num1bikecity

The Cedar Lake Trail now stretches 3.5 miles and links up with various other bike trails, making it possible for people to pedal from the suburbs to downtown and beyond without needing to share the road with motor vehicles. According to the city of Minneapolis, these connections include:

• Access to trails along the Mississippi River to and from the U of M campus, Saint Paul and beyond.
• The Kenilworth Trail, an off-street bike and pedestrian trail that links to the Midtown Greenway and the Southwest LRT Trail.
• The Hutchinson Spur Trail, which connects to the western end of the Cedar Lake Trail at the city limits for access to and from St. Louis Park, Hopkins and other western suburbs.
• The Luce Line Trail, which connects to the Cedar Lake Trail and heads west through Theodore Wirth Park, Golden Valley and beyond.