Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail

HKGi led a master planning process for a regional trail corridor that cuts through the heart of south Minneapolis and links the Chain of Lakes Regional Park at its western end with Minnehaha Regional Park at its eastern end.  The corridor follows the path of Minnehaha Creek and is a major east-west transitway for cyclists, hikers, and automobiles.

Multi-modal design and park planning, along with restoring the health of the creek, were at the heart of the project.  HKGi and the project engineer identified methods to mitigate frequent flooding issues and return the creek to a more natural state wherever possible.

Because the creek corridor is a significant outdoor recreational resource for the entire southern half of the city, HKGi conducted park and trail planning to strengthen the creek’s parks and activity spaces.  HKGi also led the process for developing solutions to several challenging traffic-bicyclist-pedestrian conflict areas along the corridor.  Difficult issues throughout the corridor have required an ability to explore creative ideas that serve residents and visitors while also fitting with storm water management features and a more naturalized creek setting.