Ground broken on new segment of Hank Aaron State Trail

MILWAUKEE -- Ground was broken on a new 24-acre segment of Milwaukee's Hank Aaron Trail on Thursday, August 30th.

Located along the Menomonee River between 27th and 37th Streets, the 24-acre site was once a rail yard but has been vacant for decades. The new park will become part of the Hank Aaron State Trail, owned and operated through a partnership of the City of Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. It will include two bike/pedestrian bridges, community gardens, access to the Menomonee River for fishing and canoeing, a mile of trails and new habitat for birds, fish, and other wildlife.

The park will become an outdoor science classroom for a new branch of the Urban Ecology Center, an organization that uses urban natural areas for hands-on science and environmental education through school partnerships and community programs.  A bike/pedestrian bridge will connect the park to Mitchell Park and the Clarke Square neighborhood, providing a green corridor as well as a bike/walk to work route from the south side to the Valley.