Commission approves Power Line Trail plan: 12‑ft multi‑use route under transmission lines with raised crossing and glow aggregate

The Transportation Commission adopted findings and approved the Power Line Trail project plan, clearing the way for construction this summer of a roughly 0.9‑mile, 12‑foot‑wide multi‑use trail beneath the city’s high‑voltage transmission corridor.

Tim Street, the city’s parks director, told the commission the corridor required lengthy coordination with county property owners and Duke Energy because of an existing transmission easement that limits vertical infrastructure. For much of the corridor, Duke’s easement prevents trees, lighting, benches or other vertical installations; the engineering and parks teams designed the trail to fit those constraints.

Key features include a trailhead on the east end at Roger Street, a raised concrete table crossing of Roger Street with rapid flashing beacons, a paved corridor connecting to existing park trails and a glow aggregate in the asphalt surface to add nighttime visibility where lighting cannot be installed. Street said the trail will connect neighborhoods to parks and can integrate with future development (Summit/Adam Street) and other city trail networks.

Public comment during the meeting included support from the Bloomington Bicycle Club and other residents who called the trail the most significant east–west multi‑use connection since the B‑Line and urged prompt construction. The commission voted by roll call to adopt the proposed findings and approve the project plan.

Next steps: staff anticipate a pre‑construction meeting and summer construction; final connections to the west depend on future development and coordination with planning and transportation.