Last summer, officials lauded the launch of a new bike trail in Hazelwood as a new step toward revitalizing the struggling neighborhood. On Monday, the trail will close for the same reason.
The closure of the two-mile portion of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail is supposed to be temporary while earth-moving and grading begins for a $1 billion redevelopment of the former LTV coke works. But it could still take “several months” before another trail — currently linking Hazelwood Avenue with the Hot Metal Bridge — can be built, said Thomas Baxter, executive director of Friends of the Riverfront.