Early information regarding closure of some Rochester MN bicycle infrastructure for a major RPU project

[Marty Cormack]

For your awareness, the RPU project that is bringing more electric power capacity from the new Marion Road substation to downtown Rochester, will force the closure of the Bear Creek Trail behind Cub Foods for about two whole months (at least). This is likely to happen some time in 2023. As that trail is heavily used by folks in SE Rochester on their way downtown, I requested that Park and Rec work on a detour with signage.  Also the ped/bike bridge over Bear Creek at 10th Street SE, and the ped/bike bridge over the Zumbro River at Soldiers Field near 9th Street will be removed and replaced as part of the project as those spans are where the power conduits will cross the water.  I do not yet know how long those spans will be closed or when that work will happen, but I also suspect it will occur in 2023. Stay tuned.

Marty Cormack

Board member, We Bike Rochester

ma...@webikerochester.org

[ivers...@gmail.com]

Thanks Marty!

If you're in touch with Parks and Rec about that detour, make sure they know that many folks ride that trail during the winter too because they're so great at clearing it. If they're working in the winter, we'd love to have the detour plowed too.

-Dave

[Marty Cormack]

For your awareness, I was unofficially notified that the long delayed RPU infrastructure work in Bear Creek and Slatterly Parks that I posted about more than 2 years ago was finally beginning this morning. I rode through there this morning and construction crews have started preliminary work but as of 11:00 a.m. this morning, the Bear Creek Trail was not yet closed.  I would assume its closure will happen very soon.  I am awaiting official notification of the closure and detour route and will pass the information on as soon as I hear back from Park&Rec or the appropriate city department.

Marty Cormack

ma...@webikerochester.org

[Marty Cormack]

The Bear Creek Trail will definitely have closures starting this week. Dewatering work is continuing today and the 10th Street SE Bike/Ped Bridge over Bear Creek will be removed soon, maybe this week. I still have not heard when the barricades will go up and detour signage will be in place, but I do have access to the closed trails and "pedestrian" detour. The attached map has the trail/bridge closures in orange and the "pedestrian" detour in yellow with dots.

Please note, on the West side of Bear Creek, the detour has gravel for about a hundred feet. The East side detour is mostly on a 5 foot wide sidewalk with several busy business entrance driveways and a very dangerous intersection with a slip lane and where right-turn-on-red may be a safety issue for cyclists and pedestrians.

[ivers...@gmail.com]

Thanks for the heads-up Marty!

It is a pretty terrible detour. I'll tell my kid to cut through Mayo High School and into Slatterly Park, rather than tangling with the Kwik Trip and Cub traffic.