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Committee re-prioritizes trail gaps; many segments tied to Arboretum area transportation plan and county projects
Summary
At the April 21 meeting Parks staff and committee members reviewed a reprioritized list of trail gaps across Victoria, discussed funding challenges and coordination with county and Arboretum-area transportation planning, and noted several segments likely to be advanced as part of larger road or regional projects.
The Victoria Parks and Recreation Committee reviewed and reconfirmed a reprioritized list of trail gaps at its April 21 meeting, with staff and members noting that many of the highest-priority segments are being addressed in the Arboretum area transportation plan or will require coordination with Carver County and other regional partners.
Jenna, the parks and recreation staff liaison, presented the list and identified key corridors and crossings that the committee prioritized for future connection. Several segments mentioned in the meeting include a roughly one-mile connection between Highway 5 and County Road 18 (a hub link to the Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail), an extension to connect Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail via Wasserman Lake/Carver links (challenging because of wetlands, creek crossings and private parcels), and multiple County Road 11-area connections that will require county right-of-way and road-crossing work.
Members and staff emphasized funding constraints: trail construction frequently requires extensive engineering and mitigation (boardwalks through wetlands, large ditch crossings), and costs for individual trail segments commonly reach into the hundreds of thousands or low millions of dollars. Committee members said many trail gaps are most feasibly closed when larger projects—street reconstruction, roundabout construction or county road projects—provide an opportunity to add trails at scale and share costs. Jenna and committee members noted that the city is working to identify more sustainable funding sources for trails and that the Arboretum transportation plan and county-led projects will address multiple items on the list.
Committee members urged continued public engagement and tracking: committee history shows the trail-gap prioritization dates to earlier work (members cited initial gap work from 2019) and that progress often depends on external partners and available grants. Staff said updated prioritization materials would be posted on the city website and that the communications team will publish an updated interactive list.
Ending The committee confirmed the reprioritized trail-gap list and will continue coordinating with county and regional partners and monitoring opportunities to link trail construction to larger road or development projects.
