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The updated mobile Twin Cities Bike Map is now available. Updates include the recently opened Cedar Ave Bridge, a new bike bridge over I-494 near Shady Oak Lake, new trails along Lexington Ave in Eagan and along the Mississippi River in NE Minneapolis plus numerous smaller changes.
The old Cedar Avenue Bridge is open! These photos are courtesy of Doug Stevens who was at the bridge this afternoon. He reports that the construction crews were rolling up the chain link fence and allowing pedestrians and bicyclists to cross.
Officially, the bridge will open sometime in mid-October, but with a couple of caveats. The bridge will not be plowed or salted this winter in order to allow the concrete to properly cure. The bridge will also close for an unspecified period next year because of construction of the Visitor’s Center and surrounding area.
The bridge closed around the year 2000 because the structure had deteriorated to the point where engineers could poke holes in the I-beams supporting the bridge deck with a pen. During the next decade and a half, it sat unused as 5 different government agencies debated who would own the bridge, whether it should be demolished and replaced with a new pedestrian bridge, who would pay for all of the work, etc.
That’s all been resolved now and we finally have another option for crossing the river. The bridge will also be very popular with bird watchers, pedestrians and fishermen and fisherwomen.
Back in the Twin Cities and checking on the progress on two of the major bike projects in the area. Check the photo below to see that the Cedar Ave. Bridge project has moved along nicely. The deck is in place, the arches are refurbished and painted and the approach ramps look finished. The bridge is still gated off for finishing touches and possibly to allow the concrete to cure. Expect construction to continue through next year as they finish a Visitor’s Center and other amenities on the north side of the Minnesota River. Let’s hope the bridge will open soon despite the other projects.
Black Dog Rd, on the south side of the river, now has a continuous bike path from the Cedar Ave. Bridge to I-35W. It shows off all of the amenities of the area, including the Minnesota River and Black Dog Lake. If you’re in the area, take a moment to rest and check out the water fowl on Black Dog Lake. There’s a very nice deck/overlook just off the trail with spotting scopes.
No bike trail is complete without a brewery near by and this one is no exception. Bald Man Brewery is south of the Cedar Ave. Bridge on Silver Bell Road. It’s tucked away in a nondescript mall on the north side of Hwy 13. Considering the tight affinity between cyclists and craft brewers, we were surprised to see that there were no bike racks near the brewery doors. Turns out that the landlord refused the brewery’s request for racks. It’s hard to believe that there are still businesses in the Twin Cities that don’t understand the role of bicyclists in the area’s transportation network.
Just added the Veteran’s Memorial to Explore More Twin Cities at Sheridan Park along the Mississippi River in Northeast Minneapolis. Dedicated to the veterans of American wars from the Spanish American War to the present, the memorial uses the arm shield as it’s symbol for warriors through the ages.
Surrounding the main sculpture are a series of face images depicting the men who fought in each of the wars. This one represents the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in the nation’s history.
To find this and other sculptures, download the free Explore More Twin Cities supplement to the mobile Twin Cities Bike Map
Just added Convergence to Explore More the free supplement to the mobile Twin Cities Bike Map.
Convergence, created by Richfield Artist James Brenner in 2015 is located just east of the Mall of America in a roundabout at 28th Ave and Lindau Lane. The sculpture is 35 feet tall and surrounded by native plantings. It represents the people who interact and move through the South Loop District in Bloomington. Daylight flows through the ring in daylight and in the evening LEDs light the hoop. If you position yourself in the right spot, jets appear to pass through the sculpture.
To find this and other sculptures, download the free Explore More Twin Cities supplement to the mobile Twin Cities Bike Map
The mobile Twin Cities Bike Map has been updated. This is the second update for 2016 and it includes some major changes. The reconstruction of I-35E has affected nearly every bike route in the area and changed the alignment of the Gateway Trail. The Gateway Trail now follows the eastern sound wall of I-35E between Cayuga Ave and Arlington Ave. The change to the Gateway Trail alignment was not completed at publication time, but the trail can be easily access by taking Cayuga Ave to the east side of the Interstate and looking for the trail. Signage and access will be improved during the summer.
I had to remove all road routes around the Velodrome in Blaine. The Blaine Sports Complex, which surrounds the Velodrome, draws thousands of soccer and hockey players every weekend creating high traffic on roads with no accommodations for bicyclists. On a recent research ride in the area, I did not feel the roads were safe for cyclists. Unfortunately, this isolates the Velodrome and makes it difficult for cyclists to ride to events at the track.
I also removed the Nicollet Mall as a bike route. The Mall is under construction and not a good route for bicyclists. I’ve added 4th Ave, however. It is a good alternate and provides a route through Downtown.
Several changes in NE Minneapolis. I removed Washington and Monroe as bike routes and used more of 5th. 5th is a designated bike route and has a bike specific signal at Broadway Ave.
Several minor changes in the Midway area, Bloomington, Edina, and the West Bank. The adjustments reflect changes in traffic patterns and some road changes.
The updated map is available through the Avenza Maps Store. If you’ve already purchased the mobile 2016 Twin Cities Bike Map, uploads are free through the end of the year.
The mobile Milwaukee and SE Wisconsin Bike Map has been updated. Updates include new trails, adjusted road routes and numerous tweaks to improve readability. If you’ve already download the 2016 Milwaukee Map, you can download the updated version for free. This is the ideal accessory for exploring the Lake Michigan shoreline, the Milwaukee River, Summerfest or trendy downtown Milwaukee.
Wall murals and graffiti art, elegant public sculptures and whimsical chainsaw art, iconic bridges, unique water towers, Nice Ride bike stations, the Twin Cities has it all. Explore More Twin Cities, a free supplement to the mobile Twin Cities Bike Map, introduces you to the High Brow and Low Brow of the Twin Cities. Turn your next bike ride into an exploration of the things that make the Twin Cities unique.
Start with the basics by downloading the free “Amenities” file: Bathrooms, drinking fountains, DIY bike service stations, parking, scenic views. Exploring is a lot easier when basic services are listed right on your map.
Then pick and choose from your areas of interest: Historic sites, public art, Nice Ride Stations, Parks and Trails, or download all of the KML files. They’re free, and once you have them on your phone or tablet, you can toggle them on or off to make them visible, or hide them to give you a cleaner looking map.
This is a work in progress, we’ll keep adding more features as we find them. And we’re looking for help. If you discover something unique about the Twin Cities, locate it on your mobile Twin Cities Bike Map and send it to Bikeverywhere by using our contact form. Check out Working with Map Features for more information about how to mark your favorite spots on the map, and share them.
Download the free KMZ files into your mobile Twin Cities Bike Map and start exploring. (How do I do that?)
Get more from your PDF Mobile App: Working with Map Features
Live Green Apartments recently ordered 67 laminated Twin Cities Bike Maps for newly built bike rooms in their apartment complexes. The bike rooms have floor and wall racks for bikes and hooks for bike helmets. This is a first, to my knowledge, in the Twin Cities. Kudos to the managers for their progressive approach to apartment management.
According to Leah Gannon of Live Green Apartments: This building is 2124 Como Ave in St Paul. We contacted the people at Smart Trips for ideas, and they were able to send us a PDF of “best practices” for bike racks/storage. We used that info and chose the things that would best fit our space, but still give residents some options. The racks are bolted to the floor for stability and we just followed the instructions for mounting the wall hooks.
If you like bikes and bike maps, join me this Sunday at the Hennepin History Museum. The one hour talk will cover the changes that have happened to Twin Cities area cycling since the mid-80s. I’ll also talk about how technology has affected map making, including bike route research. Stop by, I would enjoy meeting you. The History Museum is at 24th and 3rd, near the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The talk begins at 2:00 in the afternoon.
Come early to take in the High Wheels Exhibit presented in coordination with the Cycling Museum of Minnesota. The exhibit features High Wheel bikes from the 1880s, twin cities area cycling memorabilia and a cycling map of the area from the 1880s. You can also test ride a high wheeler in a stationary mount.
Plenty of bike parking and good access by bus. There is limited parking at the Museum and paid parking in the Mia parking lot, but Sundays are big days at the Art Museum, so parking space could be limited.