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Cross City Trail open adjacent to Erie Pier

[DULUTH, MN] Cross City Trail users can now access and utilize the portion of trail adjacent to the ponds behind Erie Pier cleanup and restoration. Trail users are encouraged to stay on the paved trail to allow restoration plantings to establish.

At the end of June 2021, a portion of the Cross City Trail and adjacent city-owned land were closed to accommodate cleanup and restoration work in two backwater ponds surrounded by shallow marsh wetlands, known as the ponds behind Erie Pier. This area, part of the St. Louis Area of Concern, contained contaminated sediment in the ponds and adjoining Shoppers Creek. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, have conducted a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative sediment remediation project to clean up the area. The project required a long-term closure and detour to a portion of the Cross City Trail. The trail is now open for use, but there are still early plantings and site restoration activities happening at the site.

The cleanup and restoration project addressed approximately 45,000 cubic yards of material contaminated with heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PCBs), and dioxins. Removal of the contaminated sediment will improve the health of the St. Louis River and Lake Superior.

The City of Duluth thanks Duluth residents and trail users for their ongoing patience during this important step in the restoration of the waterfront in west Duluth. “We are excited to see the Cross City Trail reopen adjacent to the restored wetlands behind Erie Pier. Thank you to our partner agencies and contractors that made the remediation project possible, including the EPA and MPCA,” said Jim Filby Williams, Director of the Properties, Parks, and Libraries Department. “This section of trail creates an important community link for Irving Park and West Duluth residents.”

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