The work along Golden Valley Road between Regent Avenue and Theodore Wirth Parkway is really two projects. Three Rivers Park District is building a new paved trail along the road, and its construction schedule ends this fall. A few hundred feet back in the trees, the City of Golden Valley and the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission began restoring Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ/Bassett Creek in late summer 2026. Their work runs through a wooded section of Sochacki Park. The trail is the project you've been driving past since May. The creek project is in the woods, and much of it is out of sight.
Both projects follow the same creek through the same stretch of Golden Valley. Different agencies run them, they pursue different goals, and they're on different timelines. Keeping them straight makes the next year of this corridor easier to follow.
The Trail Along the Road
Three Rivers describes the new segment as a 10-foot-wide paved, off-road, multi-use trail. It runs along the south side of Golden Valley Road from Regent Avenue to Theodore Wirth Parkway, with local trail connections on Duluth Street and Toledo Avenue. The project also rebuilt the intersections at Noble Avenue and Hidden Lakes Parkway.
The segment fills a gap. The Bassett Creek Regional Trail already links French Regional Park in Plymouth with Theodore Wirth Regional Park. Three Rivers describes this new piece as the link to the Grand Rounds Trail at Wirth Parkway. When it's finished, someone starting near Regent Avenue will be able to ride off-street to the Minneapolis parkway system without riding in Golden Valley Road traffic.
The road changes you've seen this year came from this project. Three Rivers' construction page records each phase:
| Posted update | What it covered |
|---|---|
| May 15, 2026 | Mary Hills Drive closed at Golden Valley Road through the end of June, with traffic detoured via Bassett Creek Drive. |
| May 22, 2026 | Eastbound Golden Valley Road lane closed between Legend Drive and Noble Avenue starting May 27, with both directions sharing the westbound lane under flaggers. |
| June 8, 2026 | Construction ongoing between Regent Avenue and Wirth Parkway. The south-side trail was being prepared for paving. |
| July 28, 2026 | Hidden Lakes Parkway intersection work set to begin the week of August 3, with a roughly three-week detour for northbound Hidden Lakes Parkway traffic. Through traffic on Golden Valley Road stayed open in both directions. |
Those closures are all in the past. The July 28 update is still the latest one on the page. The project's schedule map labels the Golden Valley Road segment "Construction: Spring 2026 - Fall 2026." As of October 19, Three Rivers had not posted an official opening date. Its construction page is the place to watch for one.
The Creek Behind It
The creek restoration started just as the trail was moving into its final phase. The City of Golden Valley posted on September 24 that "as of late summer 2026, on-site work is underway" along Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ/Bassett Creek from Regent Ave N to Golden Valley Rd. The City and the watershed commission are partners on the project. Its goals are to stabilize streambanks, improve water quality, reduce erosion, and make the area more resilient to climate change.
The two projects cover about the same distance, and the creek project's scale shows in its numbers. The watershed commission's project page puts the restored reach at 8,100 feet of stream. The full estimated cost, approved in January 2026, is $3,534,580, covering study, design, construction, and administration. The City of Golden Valley will put in at least $310,800. Taxes collected across the Bassett Creek watershed through the commission's Capital Improvement Program will cover the rest, and the commission plans to apply for grants to reduce that share.
The commission estimates the work will keep about 193 pounds of total phosphorus and 386,570 pounds of total suspended solids out of Bassett Creek every year, and out of the Mississippi River downstream. The work itself happens at the water's edge and in the streambed. The commission lists these techniques:
- Regrading channel banks where possible
- Stabilizing banks with plants and bioengineering methods such as live stakes and fascines
- Reinforcing the base of the bank with boulders, root wads, toe wood, or coir logs
- Installing J-hook vanes and boulder cross vanes in the creek bed
Where the Two Projects Meet
The trail runs right beside the road. The creek work is mostly in the woods. The engineer's project memo, dated November 2025, says the creek reach crosses both public and private property and passes through a wooded part of Sochacki Park. The project map also shows Rice Lake Nature Area and a bike and pedestrian trail system inside the project area. The design memo locates work sites by nearby streets: upstream and downstream of Noble Avenue, Bassett Creek Drive, Dresden Lane, and Golden Valley Road.
The two efforts overlap here. Noble Avenue is a trail intersection and also a reference point for the creek work. The engineer's memo calls for coordinating with Three Rivers Park District wherever the creek project needs Three Rivers property. It also says the work limits could shrink in spots where temporary access easements on private land can't be obtained.
The 90% design estimate counted 138 tree removals for the creek project. That figure doesn't include buckthorn or trees that were already dead or dying. Over the coming months, the trail will show up as fresh pavement along the road. The creek work will show up as cleared banks, boulders, and new plantings along the water.
The creek project also has a longer history. The commission held a public open house in March 2023, ran online surveys during the feasibility study, and gathered more input from residents during design. The engineer's November 2025 tentative schedule had construction in late summer and fall 2026, followed by final restoration and closeout in spring 2027. That timeline was set before work started. The City's project page offers construction update sign-ups, so subscribers will hear about schedule changes directly.
The Next Project at the East End
The trail ends at Theodore Wirth Parkway, and that intersection is the next project on the list. On September 23, the City announced that the Golden Valley Road and Theodore Wirth Parkway intersection is in preliminary design, led with Hennepin County and Minneapolis Parks. The scope includes reconstructing Zenith Avenue N, and construction is expected in 2028 and 2029. So once trail crews and creek crews leave, this corridor will likely see another round of work within a few years.
Past the parkway, the trail leads to The Trailhead at 1221 Theodore Wirth Parkway. The Loppet Foundation runs it in partnership with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Winter registration for the Loppet Ski Club opened October 6, and most classes start in early November.
Dates on the Calendar This Fall
Some upcoming dates in Golden Valley and from the Loppet:
- Saturday, October 31, 11 am to 1 pm. The Golden Valley Police Department and other City departments host Halloween Trunk or Treat in the City Hall parking lot under the water tower, with decorated trunks, Teddy Bear Band performances, and a PRISM toy drive.
- October 31 and November 7, 8 am to 1 pm; November 13, 8 am to 3 pm; November 14, 7 am to 1 pm. Free fall leaf drop-off for residents at Brookview Park, 200 Brookview Parkway N, according to the City calendar.
- Monday, November 2, 6 to 7:30 pm. "Roundtable: Snø Racing Program Update and Masters Racing Discussion," part of the Loppet's upcoming events.
- Thursday, November 12, 6 to 7:30 pm. "Theodore Wirth – An inside look at the man, the park, and his legacy," also from the Loppet.
- Wednesday, November 18, 5:30 to 8:30 pm. "Belonging By Design: A Space for the Hispanic & Latino Community," listed on the City calendar, with registration through Community Connections Specialist Arantxa Chaire-Kobb.
If you take Golden Valley Road to the November 7 leaf drop-off, you'll pass new trail pavement along the road, and the creek work will be going on in the woods behind it.
If you live near the Golden Valley Road corridor and want to know how the new trail and the creek work could affect your home's value, Arbor Residential Group can walk you through it. Start with an instant home valuation, or reach out and someone from our team will follow up.
