Victoria parks committee forwards trail-gap priority list to council as Highway 5 work closes several segments

The City of Victoria Parks & Recreation Committee voted May 18 to send its trail‑gap priority list to city council and urged using the list as a coordinating tool when county or state roadway projects create opportunities to build missing trail segments.

Alyssa Nelson, parks staff, told the committee the list identifies unconnected segments of the city’s trail and sidewalk system and is used to prompt trail pieces during developer proposals and when partner agencies plan roadway work. "It's really an unconnected segment of our trail system currently," Nelson said in her presentation explaining why gaps exist and how they were ranked.

Nelson highlighted the top priorities on the list: Bavaria Road East (Highway 5 to 82nd Street/County Road 18), a County Road 43 segment near the Watermark development, and a County Road 11 connection from the Cheval neighborhood to Red Fox Drive. She said Bavaria Road East — roughly a 1‑mile component of a larger project — had a recent cost estimate of "just shy of $1,000,000." Nelson also noted that several items on the list will be completed as part of the Highway 5 project, including the Bavaria Road East work, paving of the Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail through Victoria, a safe crossing at Madeline Creek Park and a Rolling Acres segment.

Committee members spent much of the meeting weighing whether to retain a strict numerical ranking or group gaps by dependency (for example, by Highway 7 projects, County Road 43 projects, County Road 11 projects, and stand‑alone items). Members generally favored grouping by dependency so the list can be used to prioritize which gap to pursue when a particular partner project is underway rather than promising specific dates.

The committee discussed recurring constraints: many priority gaps are on county or state right‑of‑way, which limits the city’s direct authority to build without a partner. Nelson reiterated that the city typically seeks to add trail segments as part of larger roadway or development projects, and noted cost drivers such as wetland crossings and required boardwalks or bridges. She gave Auburn Drive (added to the list in 2022) as an example, saying a preliminary 2022 estimate for that short connection was about $2.5 million because of wetland and bridge requirements.

Members also discussed funding sources. Nelson said the city maintains a CIP for trails and that the city cost‑shares on partner projects; she noted the city recently received a state grant to offset about $250,000 of the Bavaria East work. A committee member mentioned a recent news report indicating the legislative bonding package included roughly $10 million for regional parks and trails under the Metropolitan Council, which members said could be an avenue to pursue additional grants.

After discussion, Committee member Alex Haim moved "to provide the trail system list to council noting that all of these trails are equally important, but to be utilized when the opportunity presents itself." The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

Nelson said staff will continue coordinating with Carver County and MnDOT on projects that intersect the list and will update the committee and council as those partnerships and project schedules evolve. She also told the committee she will add clarifying "next steps" language to the meeting minutes so the public understands how and when items on the list are likely to advance.

The committee handled several routine items at the meeting, including approving April 20, 2026 meeting minutes with the requested addition of next steps, and heard updates on rotating artwork in council chambers and upcoming park work at Hunters Brook and Marsh Hollow. The meeting adjourned after the vote to forward the trail‑gap list to council.