Tour de White Bear Lake, Sunday, September 19 Sierra Club's 15th annual bicycle "conference on wheels" is headed this fall to White Bear Lake and surrounding communities. (Note that a portion of this tour will run along the Gateway Trail from County Road 12 south to Highway 36. Users of this portion of the Gateway Trail on September 19, may experience some congestion on this portion of the trail.) This fun, leisurely 22-mile ride starts and ends at Tamarack Nature Center. Guest speakers at rest stops along the way will highlight citizen activists’ work to make roads more bike and pedestrian friendly, look at new transit and trail possibilities, and explore ways to improve lake water quality. Enjoy great food, music and zero waste! Event is open to all. Come join the fun!! Sign-in begins at 9:15 am. Tour goes from 10 am 'til about 3 pm. Go to www.northstar.sierraclub.org/tour for additional information and register. You may also contact Jill.Boogren@sierraclub.org 612-659-9124, 612-659-9124 ext. 308 for additional information.
Bridge Over Century Ave,Estimated Completion Date,Early Nov. Construction will begin on May 17, 2010 to erect a bridge over Century Avenue at Highway 36, one of the busiest crossing points on the Gateway Trail. The bridge is scheduled to be completed in late September, 2010. A bridge at this site separating auto traffic from the trail will be a very welcome sight to all trail users. Below is the detour that will be used during construction. (The Gateway Trail is shown in yellow running along side of Highway 36.)
Construction Update 8.24.2010
Construction Update 7.24.2010
Century Ave Overpass, looking north. July 13, 2010
The overpass over Century Avenue at Minnesota Highway 36 is making progress. Two piers and the abutment have been completed on the north side and three piers plus the abutment are completed on the south side. Girders connecting the piers and abutments have been installed as well as decking. Unfortunately, there has been a delay in manufacture of the custom made steel arch connecting the piers on the south side to the ones on the north side. This will delay completion of the bridge until the first week of November. The piers will be faced in brick and even in its uncompleted state the new bridge is pleasing to the eye.
Detour Map
Travel Directions for the Century Avenue Detour, from the South.
1. At Henry Street, make a 90 degree turn to the south. 2. Travel south on Henry Street until you reach 7th Avenue. 3. At 7th Avenue, turn left and follow 7th Avenue until you reach Gershwin Avenue North. 4. At Gershwin Avenue North, turn left. Go north on Gershwin Avenue until you reach Georgia Blvd. 5. At Georgia Blvd, turn right and proceed in a north easterly manner until you reach 50th Street. 6. At 50th Street, turn right. At this point you will be back on the Gateway Trail.
The detour will have numerous signs to help you navigate around the construction site and return to the trail. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Vandalism at Highway 96 Overpass
Vandalism at the Hwy 96 wayside prompts the Gateway Trail Association to offer a reward. For anyone having information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the vandals, a $250 reward is offered. Those who have information have been asked to contact the Washington County Sheriff at 651-439-9381. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Manning Bridge Construction Completion NOW Date:Dec '10 Manning Avenue Construction Site, August 24, 2010 Manning Avenue Construction Site viewed from the trail on the south side 7.13.2010.
Ramp on the North East Side of Manning Ave on May 31, 2010
Cyclists Using Manning Ave Bridge Detour on May 31, 2010 Progress at the Gateway Trail At Manning Avenue on November 20, 2009 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Update
A
workable detour is in place (see above) but is rough and may require bikers and roller bladers to
walk. We will periodically post pictures showing progress. As of July 24, we can advise that the historic bridge has been moved to a DOT garage in the Metro area in preparation for the installation by Fall 2010 but there have been some delays in the restoration process. Some additional delay will be the result of testing and verification conducted by the DOT. The DNR has advised that historic signs have been placed at the bridge site. The projected completion date is now December 2010. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Construction will begin August 31, 2009 to install historic bridge number 5721 on the Gateway Trail as it passes over Manning Avenue, County Road 15 (CR 15). The project will proceed in two phases. First, in 2009, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will construct two earthen ramps on either side of the intersection. In the second phase of construction taking place in 2010, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) will assemble the historic bridge.
Upon completion, the bridge will route the Gateway Trail over the high volume and high-speed traffic on Manning Avenue and should be a great safety improvement. In addition, the new bridge deck will be 18 feet wide, which will more easily accommodate horse riders and bikers at the same time. Upon completion, historic markers will be installed which will describe the unique character of this old bridge.
During the two-year construction period, a detour around the work site will be implemented as shown in the map below. The detour surface will not be paved.
Manning Avenue Detour Map.
Deck view of new Manning Ave bridge.
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