WMATA Advocates for Collaborative Solutions to Expand Trail Connections and Preserve Tree Canopy in St. Louis Park

The West Metro Active Transportation Alliance (WMATA) is disappointed to learn that fiscal constraints have caused the delay to key aspects of the 2028 pavement reconstruction project in the Creekside, Brookside, and Brooklawns neighborhoods.

However, we remain optimistic that this delay can provide us the vital opportunity to engage with the City of St. Louis Park and the Three Rivers Park District as plans for street reconstruction and regional bikeway connections continue to develop.

WMATA empathizes with St. Louis Park residents and advocates concerned about the potential loss of heritage trees. These trees are essential components of our local ecosystem and a beloved fixture of our neighborhoods. Combined with regional trails and neighborhood bike and pedestrian infrastructure, a healthy, extensive tree canopy is vital to weathering the impacts of climate change in our communities as well as improving everyone’s quality of life.

Too often, street design discussions are framed as “bikes vs. trees.” In reality, trees are primarily threatened by standard road engineering like excavation and utility updates, overabundance of non-permeable paved surfaces, and by environmental pollutants from ongoing car traffic. Despite the construction project’s delay, several trees will still be removed in this project area this year due to preexisting health issues, completely unrelated to new bike infrastructure.

As advocates for sustainable transportation, WMATA is also invested in preserving and expanding our green spaces, especially in the places where we and our neighbors live.

We call on all project stakeholders–the City of St. Louis Park, the Three Rivers Park District, and the CPKC Railway, as well as those who live and work in the community or travel through it–to collaborate on design alternatives that achieve active transportation, regional recreation, tree preservation goals, and a more sustainable future for all.

Author’s note: Read more about the synergy between boulevard trees and separated bike infrastructure in “Riding in the Heat: Why the Right Infrastructure Keeps Everyone Cooler” from BikeMN.