Bruce Vento Regional Trail

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A view of the Seventh Street Improvement Arches from the north side. The asphalt trail is the Bruce Vento Regional Trail.

This sign, posted on Phalen Boulevard near Westminster Junction, describes the history of the Railroad Island and Swede Hollow neighborhoods.

The Bruce Vento Regional Trail is a rail trail in the cities of Maplewood and Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The trail occupies an abandoned Burlington Northern Railroad corridor and intersects with the Gateway State Trail in Maplewood before and continues just east of Lake Phalen in Saint Paul. South of the lake, it continues along Phalen Boulevard and through Swede Hollow to its terminus near Seventh Street. Another spur off of Phalen Boulevard continues west, going over a long bridge that crosses very active railroad tracks, and terminates at Interstate 35E.

The trail is approximately 6.2 miles long from its northern end to the southern terminus near Seventh Street. The extension along Phalen Boulevard is 1.3 miles. Most of the trail was built in the late 1990s. The section along Phalen Boulevard was paved in late 2005.

The trail is through a corridor and is mostly off the road. In some places it goes through residential neighborhoods. There are some nice views of Phalen Lake through the trees. The section in Swede Hollow is particularly scenic where it runs through a ravine. The south end of the trail features the Seventh Street Improvement Arches. This is a historic bridge built to carry the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad underneath Seventh Street. The Phalen Boulevard extension goes through more industrial and office areas, but at the top of the bridge over Westminster Junction, there is a historical exhibit with descriptions of how the railroads developed along with the city.

The trail is named for U.S. Representative Bruce Vento.

This former Burlington Northern Railroad corridor was formerly used by the Northern Pacific Railway and was originally built as the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad.