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BROOKLYN PARK & COON RAPIDS, MN
For two weeks in February, one of the north metro’s most heavily traveled pedestrian crossings will fall quiet.
The 12-foot-wide walkway spanning the Coon Rapids Dam will close for scheduled repairs from Monday, February 16, through Friday, February 27, 2026, according to Three Rivers Park District and Anoka County Parks.
For walkers, cyclists, commuters and winter trail users, the closure represents more than a temporary inconvenience. The dam crossing is a central artery in the region’s trail system, stitching together communities on both sides of the Mississippi River.
A Critical Regional Link
The walkway connects Mississippi Gateway Regional Park in Brooklyn Park to Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park in Coon Rapids. It also links the Mississippi River Regional Trail on the west bank with the North Hennepin Regional Trail on the east, forming a continuous corridor for recreation and non-motorized transportation.
On any given day, the crossing carries joggers before dawn, families with strollers in the afternoon and cyclists logging winter miles when conditions allow. The view from the span — the broad sweep of the Mississippi River framed by wooded shoreline — has long made it one of the most photographed river crossings in the Twin Cities’ northern suburbs.
Originally constructed in the early twentieth century as part of a hydroelectric and river control system, the dam today functions as a water level management structure while supporting a public walkway that has become inseparable from the region’s identity.
Why the Closure Now
Park officials describe the February shutdown as planned maintenance designed to preserve long-term safety and structural integrity.
The timing follows the late 2025 grand reopening of Mississippi Gateway Regional Park, a more than $40 million redevelopment that transformed the west side of the dam with a new visitor center, expanded river overlooks and the elevated Treetop Trail. While that project reimagined the surrounding parkland, the dam crossing itself requires periodic inspection, repair and what engineers often call punch list work after major site improvements.
Minnesota’s freeze-thaw cycles, ice movement and heavy seasonal use place stress on concrete surfaces, expansion joints and railings. Routine maintenance, officials say, helps ensure the structure remains safe for the thousands of annual users who depend on it.
What Visitors Should Know
During the 12-day repair window, the walkway will be fully closed to all pedestrian and bicycle traffic. There will be no river crossing at the dam.
Trail users seeking to travel between the two sides of the Mississippi River are advised to use alternate crossings:
• The 610 bridge to the south
• The Ferry Street bridge, also known as Highway 47, to the north
Detour signage and maps will be posted at major trail junctions on both sides of the river. While the dam walkway will be inaccessible, both Mississippi Gateway Regional Park and Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park will remain open, including land-based trails and the elevated Treetop Trail on the west side.
A Pause, Not a Retreat
For many north metro residents, the Coon Rapids Dam walkway is more than infrastructure. It is where children learn to ride bikes against a steady river wind, where couples stop mid-span to watch bald eagles trace the current, where neighbors greet one another in every season.
The February closure is temporary. When the repairs are complete and inspections finalized, the crossing is expected to reopen, restoring one of the region’s most relied-upon river links.
Until then, the Mississippi will continue to flow beneath an empty span, and the community that has come to depend on it will take the long way around.
