MPLS Park and Recreation Board approves Grand Rounds Missing Link Concept Plan and Phase 1 Implementation
On Wednesday, Dec. 3, MPRB Commissioners approved the Grand Rounds Missing Link Concept Plan and Phase One Implementation.
The Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway circles almost all of Minneapolis in 51 miles of continuous parkway and bike and walking trails. However, there’s a gap in NE/SE Minneapolis between Stinson Parkway and East River Parkway that has existed for 140+ years.
The concept plan approved by the MPRB Commissioners lays out the path to complete this missing four-mile stretch of the Ground Rounds. Commissioners also approved building one of the four segments described in the plan.
First Phase of Work: Mid-City Prairie
The MPRB-approved first phase of work in completing the Grand Rounds Missing Link is Segment 2, called the Mid City Prairie. Project staff will conduct advanced design and engineering work in 2026, then expect to begin construction in 2027.
The Mid-City Prairie is an approximately mile-long segment along Industrial Boulevard between Broadway Street NE and East Hennepin Avenue, and along East Hennepin for several blocks to 27th Avenue SE. The proposed design will reduce the number of vehicular lanes on Industrial Boulevard and add a new regional trail and linear prairie through the Mid-City Industrial neighborhood, while preserving freight access to private businesses. It will connect to existing trail infrastructure on Broadway and Ridgway Parkway, expanding the City’s pedestrian and bicycle network.
Throughout the length of the corridor, proposed parkland opportunities create restored prairie and savanna through the heart of the industrial district. Trails with seating areas will wind through the prairie, providing a scenic trail experience like other segments of the Grand Rounds found elsewhere in the city. The existing tree canopy is anticipated to be largely preserved. Use the link below to view an interactive map with more details on the proposed concept plan:
Grand Rounds Missing Link Story Map
About the Project
The Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway circles almost all of Minneapolis in 51 miles of continuous parkway and bike and walk trails. It travels along the Mississippi River, Minnehaha Creek, Chain of Lakes, Theodore Wirth Regional Park, Victory Memorial and St. Anthony Parkways, plus many more parks and natural features. However, there’s a gap in NE/SE Minneapolis between Stinson Parkway and East River Parkway that has existed for 140+ years.
Several plans were developed over the past 100 years to complete the Grand Rounds, but the trail gap has persisted. In 2009, a planning effort was supported by community members and the MPRB but was never adopted by the Metropolitan Council due to a lack of interagency support for the trail route and vision.
The 2009 Missing Link trail plan was revisited in 2019 as part of creating the East of the River Park Plan, which planned all neighborhood parks in Minneapolis east of the Mississippi River. An updated Missing Link plan was adopted by the MPRB as well as Metropolitan Council at the conclusion of that project.
Over the past two years, the MPRB has worked to develop a concept plan for the corridor, building on the 2019 park plan. The approved concept plan consists of four connected segments The first segment will be built in 2027-2028, with future phases to planned as funding is available.
Project Funding
The Minnesota state legislature provided $5.5 million to Grand Rounds Missing Link as part of the 2023 state infrastructure bill. Also in 2023, the MPRB Code of Ordinances was amended to prioritize funding for “Regional Opportunity Facilities” in the regional park budgeting process, beginning in 2024.
Regional opportunity facilities are those that are not yet substantially connected into the regional park and trail system, either because of limited land control by the MPRB, or because of incomplete pedestrian and bicycle connections to and between other regional facilities. The Grand Rounds Missing Link and Above the Falls Regional Park are two places specifically called out in the amendment. Read the ordinance, PB 18-3, for more detailed information on how the MPRB allocates regional park funding.