Bike path points south to Walmart

September 11th, 2009 | By Tyler Banas | Section: Issues

Walmart is an enterprise designed to provide a convenient shopping experience. But when the store itself is located far outside of a town’s central hub, the journey there may not be so convenient. To the accord of many Grinnellians, help is under construction.

A bike path, averaging 10 feet in width and running a total of .86 miles along Highway 146 is currently being paved. The project began mid-July and is expected to be complete in 60 working days. Given an estimated three to four workdays per week, the path should be ready for use around early November. It will extend from the already existing path surrounding Arbor Lake and head south to Industrial Avenue. This will allow community members an alternative method of traveling to Walmart, Theisen’s and other notable locations.

As the primary north-south thoroughfare in town, Highway 146 is a hazardous place for cyclists. Martin Stuhr-Rommereim, a local high school student who knows the area well, has never attempted riding his bicycle to Walmart. “You have to ride alongside the road,” he said. “It’s kind of risky.” One of the largest employers in the area—Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Co.—is located south of I-80, resulting in waves of commuters heading to and from work.

“We’ve wanted a trail through town from north to south for some time now. The funding has made it possible,” Jan Anderson, a working associate of the City Manager, said. The new bicycle path is being funded by several agencies, including the City of Grinnell, Walmart, Grinnell Tourism Group and Imagine Grinnell, a nonprofit dedicated to improving quality of life in the greater Grinnell area. This funding is stirring up propositions to add additional segments to the path in the future. It may eventually extend as far south as the Interstate or connect to the trail heading west to Rock Creek State Park.

According to Melissa Strovers, Executive Director of Imagine Grinnell, the idea for the bike path has been under consideration for some time now, and the community is readily anticipating the upcoming convenience.

For more information, visit www.imaginegrinnell.org, page 11 of the Annual Report.