People want trails, clean water and open space. The County and its cities recognize the demand for this, building impressive systems anchored on their parks, but these aren’t always connected or coordinated to maximize benefits to the community.
The Greenway Collaborative pools county, city, state and other resources to connect city parks, regional parks, rivers, wetlands, open space, existing trails and activity centers in a cohesive system.
A vision of an interconnected greenways
The greenway vision identifies 200 miles of regional greenway, two-thirds of which are on land currently in public or semipublic ownership.
More than just trails
Greenways serve four primary functions in one corridor: they improve water quality, connect wildlife habitat, provide recreation, and they provide non-motorized transportation.
For more information about the Greenway Collaborative, read the
Greenway Guidebook.
Central Greenway Connectivity Study
The Central Greenway Connectivity Study aims to ensure that the greenway routes surrounding Lebanon Hills Regional Park will connect to each other along safe, clear and efficient routes in order to provide a complete and connected trail network throughout the County. It was conducted as a result of public desire to keep commuter and transportation bicyclists off trails in Lebanon Hills Regional Park.
Project purposes and goals:
- Evaluate and potentially recommend efficient off-road trail and on-road routes for bicycle and pedestrian connectivity between existing, planned, and proposed Dakota County Greenways, particularly for Class A Cyclists
- Inventory existing bikeway facilities in central Dakota County that connect regional greenways
- Assess conditions of existing bike and pedestrian facilities in central Dakota County that connect regional greenways
- Identify opportunities for bicycle and pedestrian facility improvements and make recommendations for short and long term improvements
- Ensure bicycle and pedestrian access around and connecting to Lebanon Hills Regional Park from existing residential areas
- Keep Lebanon Hills Park a natural and recreational destination
Central Greenway Connectivity Study