Shakopee breaks ground on Huber Park riverbank project with a kayak launch
Shakopee broke ground Thursday, Oct. 29, on its Minnesota River bank project at Huber Park, and the city’s announcement for the Nov. 4 council meeting says construction began that week. Crews will grade and armor 4,000 feet of riverbank from the Holmes Street bridge to Sweeney’s Marina.
The city says the river has taken approximately 100 feet of bank near the bridge, and that its sanitary sewer line there is at risk of being exposed to the current.
Sweeney’s Marina will be restored for kayakers and other non-motorized watercraft users, with an ADA-accessible kayak dock and launch. The Levee Drive parking lot will become an art plaza with a river overlook, and the plans add fishing spots and overlooks and realign and raise the DNR state trail.
The city’s Oct. 6 project schedule lists the impacts as temporary parking restrictions and the state trail closed. Bank grading will run through the winter, parking lots, trails and lighting will follow in 2027, and the schedule has the project finishing and reopening in fall 2027.
The council voted 5-0 on Oct. 6 to award a $14.675 million contract to S.M. Hentges & Sons of Jordan, and a design change is expected to cut $1,590,000 from it. The city puts the total at $18.16 million, with 72% from outside funding such as state bonding and an EPA grant. The city’s project page says property taxes will not be used.
What's next: The council will vote at 7 pm Wednesday, Nov. 4, at City Hall, 485 Gorman Street, on letting crews start at 7 am instead of 9 am on Saturdays through the end of November 2027. The city's project page has before-and-after views of the plans.
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