Every summer, cyclists in Minneapolis embrace the pleasant weather, riding throughout the city free from ice and bitter cold. Today, though, they have another foe: traffic cones and construction equipment.

The dreaded construction season is an inconvenience for all travelers on city roads, but it poses a unique challenge to cyclists. And cycling is no small matter in Minneapolis: The city is ranked among the best for cycling in the U.S., according to People for Bikes, a national bicycle advocacy group to promote biking in cities.

Today, Minneapolis’s ranking faces challenges, especially in Prospect Park. Why? Road work is limiting access to bike lanes and cyclists are crammed onto roads alongside cars, where the risk of an accident is higher.

Prospect Park is also one of a few neighborhoods in Minneapolis not connected to the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, a 51-mile bike and pedestrian pathway that connects the city’s parks, landmarks and communities along the Mississippi River. The bike path goes along Minnehaha Falls and the Chain of Lakes. 

For the past 140 years there has been a gap, a “missing link”– appropriately called by cyclists – that prevents the byway from being a connected circle. The gap stretches from St. Anthony Village to Prospect Park, limiting cyclists’ ability to traverse the areas without a car.

Patrick Blaney, an avid biker and member of the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee, explained the frustration. “We have this incredible backbone of a bike path that surrounds the whole city in this really great loop, but it’s not a loop at this point, it’s like a C,” he said.

Blaney said it’s toughest for people who want to live without a car. “Biking’s a great way to do that, and having a way to access a bike trail is just such an important thing for someone with a bike,” Blaney said.

In February, the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board unveiled a plan to complete the Grand Rounds. Two years ago it was allocated $5.5 million from the state for the project,  which the board said will be completed in small increments over the next 10 years. The plan will split the missing link into four smaller regions: St. Anthony Village, Mid-City, Como and Prospect Park.

Some of the work will bring much-needed change. For example, the proposal includes a roundabout at the intersection of Franklin Avenue, East River Parkway and 27th Avenue, Southeast. Today, the area is a five-way intersection managed by traffic lights that are awkward and dangerous for everyone. 

“That intersection is a total mess,” Blaney said. “It’s got a lot of challenging turns and a lot of long signals and a lot of long wait times.

For more than 100 years, there have been five attempts to connect the missing link with the Grand Rounds trail. One of the earliest was in 1910, according to the city.  

Each was similar, crafted in the context of politics at the time while trying to satisfy the interests of numerous organizations and landowners.. They included the University of Minnesota, the city of St. Anthony, the city of Minneapolis and Hennepin County.

Those challenges remain today. In order for the trail to be completed, there needs to be an agreement reached among all entities involved. 

In the meantime, residents of Prospect Park still want to find a way to travel efficiently without a car, regardless of the safety of the routes. “If they don’t have a clear, safe route, they’re going to find a route,” Blaney said. “So you’ll see people biking all the time on University Avenue, and as someone who has lived here for a while, I know there are better routes.”