Advocating for the preservation of Duluth’s historic architecture.
Local view: Let saved tracks, new trail spur rebirth of St. Louis River corridor
Posted on by Mike Casey, Jr., Duluth News Tribune
Mike and Lorri Latzke ride their tandem bike over railroad tracks shortly before a Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad departure in July 2013. The future of the scenic train is in jeopardy because the environmental cleanup of the old U.S. Steel site in western Duluth may not include keeping the historic tracks. A grassroots group has a plan to save the tracks and the train while developing new trails as a backbone of the expected St. Louis River corridor redevelopment. (file / News Tribune)
The city of Duluth is engaged in the Western Waterfront Park and Trail Master Plan process. The results will determine the future use of city property along the St. Louis River between the Irving neighborhood and Chambers Grove Park in Fond du Lac. It seems likely the multi-use Western Waterfront Trail will be extended from Riverside with some proximity to the river.
What is less certain is the future of the historic railroad tracks and train in the same area.
The EPA and U.S. Steel asked the city to advise them about the tracks as they plan for the cleanup of the U.S. Steel Superfund site. Some of the tracks will be removed during the cleanup. Cleanup project funding would include funds for restoring the tracks. But will the city ask that the tracks be put back?
The city has offered three design options, but there are essentially only two: “rail and trail” or “trail alone.” Members of the Friends of Western Duluth Parks and Trails enthusiastically endorse “rail and trail.” The option is both possible and feasible.
We recognize the train as an important community asset. The master-plan process should recognize what the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad currently provides and should envision what “rail and trail” could contribute to the future of our western Duluth community, the city, and the region. Read Full Story.
