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Originally, the Greenway was part of the
Milwaukee Railroad’s main line to the
West Coast, which began running in
1882.
By 1912, the railway was encoun-
tering so much traffic that the city asked
the railroad to place the rail line in a
trench. By 1993, rail traffic had slowed
significantly, and the Hennepin County
Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA)
purchased the corridor for future light
rail. As a result of the original design,
though, much of the Greenway lies below
street level, meaning trail users are largely
isolated from car traffic and rarely have to
cross streets.
The trail, which is open 24 hours a
day, year-round, is also well lit and safe.
Security cameras are posted in strategic
locations along the paved path, and a
volunteer group called Trail Watch polices
the Greenway daily to protect the public.
And when the snow flies? “The city
plows this trail faster than the streets,”
Jensen says. On the rare occasions when
the Greenway hasn’t gotten plowed, peo-
ple are quick to vent their frustrations.
Battling the Elements
While I’m a fanatic about cross-country
skiing, especially when the snow is falling,
I’m not sure how I feel about getting out
on a bike in this winter weather. I con-
clude that I must be made of less hearty
stock than these Minnesotans.
Several of these diehards have congre-
gated at Freewheel Midtown Bike Center,
a bike shop and café on the Greenway
where I’m renting a bike on this day.
They’re clad in winter bike gear, many
holding cups of Peace Coffee, a popular
Minneapolis brew. A few are munching
lunch—the café serves fresh salads, many
of them gluten-free and vegetarian, and
sandwiches made with local meats and
produce—while others are relaxing in
chairs.
I ask Mario Macaruso, Freewheel’s café
manager, why people seem so enthusiastic
about pedaling through the winter ele-
ments. Macaruso offers an angle I would
never have considered. “It’s warmer to
ride a bike than drive a car,” he says.
I try to remember his comment as I
wheel myself to the Greenway and begin
pedaling toward the trail’s signature sight,
the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge, a cable
bridge erected to eliminate the need for
bikers and pedestrians to cross a busy
intersection.
I’m thankful the trail is flat, as the
snow is beginning to accumulate, adding
resistance to my ride. I’m also grateful
the crowds aren’t numbering in the thou-
sands today, for I’m having trouble seeing
the lane designated for cyclists. There
are lanes in each direction for cyclists
and walkers/runners, and I’m making
a squiggly line through the snow. I can
see, though, that I’m below the road, the
trench carved gracefully on both sides of
me, and, when I pass under numerous
bridges, I welcome the relief, albeit tem-
porary, from the pelting snow.
Even under these conditions, I’m
impressed with how well this trail is
maintained. Although the corridor
is operated by the city, the Midtown
Greenway Coalition has several volunteer
committees that manage different aspects
of the trail.
One committee, for instance, is
charged with creating green spaces
along the trail, and they’re making good
headway. One large green space recently
opened, and the committee has plans to
add more. Plus, through an Arbor Day
project, more than 4,000 trees have been
planted along the Greenway. Another
committee is working to add more public
art, with the long-term goal of acquiring
and commissioning permanent artwork
along the corridor.
The trail hasn’t always looked this
good, however. In fact, when George
Puzak, a long-time cycling and environ-
mental advocate in Minneapolis, first
thought about turning this former rail-
road corridor into a recreational trail in
the early 1990s, the place was a dump.
Literally. “It was filled with litter, shop-
ping carts, couches, tires, needles—any-
thing people could dump, it was there,”
Puzak says.
In spite of its filth, Puzak recognized
the promise and the positive impact of
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M i s s i s s i p p i
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hiawatha lrt trail
Nicollet Ave. S.
W. 28th St.
W. 26th St.
W. 24th St.
E. 24th St.
Franklin Ave.
E. Franklin Ave.
Franklin Ave. S.E.
Seabury Ave.
E. Lake St.
W. Lake St.
W. 32nd St.
E. 32nd St.
E. 28th St.
E. 26th St.
West River Pkwy.
East River Pkwy.
5
th Ave. S.
Park Ave. S.
Columbus Ave. S.
Chicago Ave. S.
11
th Ave. S.
10
th Ave. S.
12
th Ave. S.
13
th Ave. S.
18
th Ave. S.
Hiawatha Ave.
Minnehaha Ave.
26
th Ave. S.
27
th Ave. S.
29
th Ave. S.
30
th Ave. S.
34
th Ave. S.
38
th Ave. S.
40
th Ave. S.
46
th Ave. S.
Dorman Ave. S.
37
th Ave. S.
Bloomington Ave. S.
m
i
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s
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t
a
Ben Ortega braves
deep snowdrifts and
brutal cold—familiar
factors along the trail
in Minneapolis, where
winter temperatures
are often in the teens,
and an average of 50
inches of snow blanket
the city every year.
ELLIE KINGSBURY