News & Project Updates

• The L’Orient re-connection was completed at the end of July
• New mile maker signs will be installed this fall
•  Slight delay on the Westminster construction, anticipate completion October 11^th
• Winter plowing from Cayuga to Jamaca will be done by the DNR, Manning to Laurel on the Brown’s Creek will be done by the City of Stillwater
• Yield to Horses signage will be installed for everyone's safety. Fast bikes in particular can startle horses along the trail.
  
• The Candlelight Snowshoe/Hike will be Friday, January 26^th. 
  
• Extension plans through William O’Brien continue to be discussed.

Washington County is working to secure additional funding for road construction and a trail access on County Highway 5, from Sycamore Street to Highway 96.

The County is:

• Resurfacing the road
• Resurfacing the exiting trails
• Replacing the bridge that spans across Brown’s Creek
• Adding turn lanes at the intersection of Johnson Court
• Adding a trail on the west side of Highway 5 from Sycamore Street to Johnson Court

This project is programmed for construction in 2025.

As part of this project, they also hope to provide a safe and accessible trail connection from Highway 5 to the Brown’s Creek Trail.

Project challenges include:

• A significate grade difference from Highway 5 to Brown’s Creek Trail
• Bedrock that will need to be removed to make this connection
• Retaining walls that will need to be built

Their initial appeal for funding through the state bonding fund was unfortunately unsuccessful.

Without additional funding, this connection likely will not be included with the upcoming 2025 project.  While this is unfortunate, the design does not preclude the addition of this connection in the future.

The Gateway-Brown's Creek Trail Association was the recipient of the River Market round-up for the month of August.

THANK YOU to the coop and it's shoppers.

Over $3,000 was gifted to the association for trail improvement projects.

Sending a huge thank you to our volunteers who attended the Sat, Aug 5, invasive species removal day. The group removed an incredible number of invasive plants, and lopped encroaching willow. This is all in preparation for a new planting on the trail this fall with new trees and more native prairie plants. Thank you so much, volunteers!

See photos of the group in action here.

By Tom O'Sullivan, board member

There’s a lot going on at the St Paul end of the Gateway Trail this season. Two long-planned major projects are in the works: a new segment of the trail from Arlington Avenue to Maryland Avenue, and the removal and replacement of a railroad bridge at Westminster Avenue. 

The trail south from Arlington Avenue has been newly routed, graded, and paved and now runs between the I-35E freeway and L’Orient Avenue. This replaces the old trail behind a shuttered K-Mart and next to an auto junkyard. The new trail runs through a short underpass below Maryland Avenue for a traffic-free ride or walk all the way to Cayuga Avenue, a short distance from downtown St Paul.

Just north of Arlington Avenue, crews have taken down the old railroad bridge over Westminster Avenue. When the new bridge is complete this fall, the trail will re-open from Arlington to Wheelock Parkway. Until then, trail users can detour one block to Westminster and take that street just a few blocks to Wheelock. 

The trailhead at Arlington Avenue has been busy and brighter, too. GBCTA has partnered with Urban Roots Minnesota to re-open the Arlington Gardens. A lively, East Side-based nonprofit, Urban Roots works with young people and other community members on food, garden, and conservation projects around town. About twenty gardeners are planting and tending their individual plots this summer.  By the time they’re harvesting their veggies this fall, the cityside Gateway will offer trail users a smooth ride or easy walk from near downtown to Maplewood, and on to Duluth Junction and Pine Point.

Effective August 1st, if there is not traffic nearby, cyclist may treat a Stop sign like a yield sign and do not need to come to a complete stop. This does not apply to traffic lights. And it is not a license to blast through stop signs any time, or to expect vehicles to yield to bicyclists. For your own safety, please be aware of that distinction. Bicyclists and pedestrians are the most likely to be hurt in collisions, so please be safe out there while also enjoying the new rule.

As blueberry season draws closer, see how others have used the Gateway and Brown's Creek Trails as their travel corridor to access local blueberries.

The Saint Paul segment of the Gateway Trail from Cayuga Avenue to Arlington Avenue is temporarily detoured along the east side of Interstate 35E, while the DNR re-routes the trail south of Arlington. You’ll see detour signs at Cayuga and Arlington directing you to a paved Saint Paul city trail that parallels the I-35E barrier wall. 

Part of this detour route rises above the freeway for a view sweeping from the downtown Saint Paul skyline, past the domes of the Minnesota State Capitol and Cathedral of Saint Paul, and across the Trout Brook Valley. The valley was long home to the Mdewakanton Dakota; in the later 19th century it was the site of farming and market gardening for the growing city, milling and factories, railroad yards and working class families. In the 1960s the Interstate Highway System brought I-35E through the capital city. From this city trail detour you can get a glimpse of Saint Paul's historic North End and East Side that freeway commuters miss in their cars below.

The new segment of the Gateway Trail will bring users along the west side of I-35E. The DNR expects to complete it this summer. 

Winter surprises abound. Take last weekend's heavy snowfall, for example. The DNR team is working to clear debris and the unprecedented tree-fall that happened on both the Gateway and Brown's Creek Trails. But please be patient. Ice and remaining snow are a barrier to clearing everything. The team will continue to chip away at the heavy damage the trails' trees suffered.

Sections of the Gateway Trail are ice after recent freeze-thaw temperatures. If you plan to attend the 1/27/23 Candlelight hike, wearing cleats is encouraged.