Mississippi River Greenway

Mississippi River Greenway

Pop-Up Survey
As Dakota County works to add signature trail amenity spaces that put the finishing touches on the Mississippi River Greenway, we’d like your input on the final interpretive installation designs. The design of these spaces is built on the Mississippi River Trail Interpretive + Experience Design Plan, developed in 2014 and rooted in community engagement. In this survey, we will show renderings of a selected interpretive installations along the greenway. Your responses to these installations will help us fine tune designs to better translate the community’s visions into reality. Thank you for participating!
Select your location
Select the specific interpretive installation you’d like to see renderings for and provide feedback on: *

Kaposia Landing (Levee Get Down)

Review this location rendering
The proposed design includes...
- Accessible route to a river overlook
- Stairs that access the water
- Added trail connection to parking lot
  Aggregate path down to the river
- Limestone block benches
Kaposia Landing (Monorail Site)

Review this location rendering
Interpretive Theme: In May 1888, a monorail along Bryant Avenue carried people almost a mile up the bluff from this location. It was the first monorail in Minnesota and one of the first in the world. The line attracted national attention, but the fanfare didn’t last long. Although its developers hoped to extend the line into Saint Paul, the city refused to grant a permit. Without a permit for expansion, the monorail, though innovative, was domed. A few years later the line was dismantled.
Wakota Bridge (Historic Ferry Crossing)

Review 3 location renderings
Interpretive Theme: Upriver, the Wakota Bridge spans the Mississippi River, connecting South Saint Paul and Newport. First authorized in 1926 by President Coolidge, funding wasn’t secured until 1957. The original bridge was 1,879 feet long with a 420-foot tied arch span over the main river channel.

George Good started the Newport Ferry, North Star service in 1926 after a fire damaged the Inver Grove Swing Bridge. Stockyard workers, packers, and other passengers used the ferry to travel between home and work on both sides of the river. The ferry was not the most advanced or comfortable, but it worked. Service ended in the early 1940s.
Town of Nininger (the Birthplace of Town Ball)

Review 3 location renderings
Interpretive Theme: Although the town of Nininger didn’t last, its legacy lives on as the birthplace of “town ball” in Minnesota. The first organized baseball game—an intrasquad competition—was held in Nininger in 1857. By the 1870s, towns across the state had teams to play against each other. Since then, hundreds of towns across Minnesota have fielded teams of amateur players. Today, players still compete for bragging rights and love of the game.
Hastings Bridges (the Three Bridges of Hastings)

Review this location rendering
Interpretive Theme: As a river town, Hastings relies on its bridges. A spiral bridge was the first alternative to crossing the river by ferry. The nearly 400-foot-long spiral rose about 55 feet from street level to the bridge. Designed for horses, wagons, and people, its wooden deck was ill-equipped for faster and heavier cars and trucks. A blue painted steel through-truss bridge replaced the spiral bridge. Fondly called “Big Blue,” it carried two lanes of traffic that eased into downtown.
What experiences or personal connections do you have to this place?
Using this scale, what do you think about the rendering?*

I am excited about the design conceptI am neutral on the design conceptI am concerned about the design concept
What about the design are you excited about?
What is your general comment on the design?
What about the design are you concerned about?
Closing Questions
Do you have any additional feedback or questions that you’d like to share with the project team?
Would you like to receive project updates via email? If yes, please share your preferred email address.

YesNo
Email address:
example@example.com
Optional Demographics Question
How do you primarily use the Mississippi River Greenway?

Biking, for recreationBiking, for commutingWalking, for dog walkingWalking, for fitnessRiver accessRecreation and leisure
Select the county you are a resident of:

Dakota CountyGoodhue CountyHennepin CountyRamsey CountyRice CountyScott CountyWashington CountyOther
Select your race and/or ethnicity:

American Indian or Alaskan NativeAsian, Asian Indian or Pacific IslanderBlack or African AmericanHispanic or LatinoWhiteOther
Select your age:

18-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+Other
Select your gender:

FemaleMaleIdentify another wayOther
Should be Empty:

Mississippi River Greenway

Select your location

Kaposia Landing (Levee Get Down)

Kaposia Landing (Monorail Site)

Wakota Bridge (Historic Ferry Crossing)

Town of Nininger (the Birthplace of Town Ball)

Hastings Bridges (the Three Bridges of Hastings)

Closing Questions