If you’ve been out in the Upper Arb this spring, you may have noticed some construction along Wall Street Road. While it looks like a mess at the moment, this construction is actually the beginning of some exciting changes coming to the arboretum. This project is the first segment of a bike trail that will eventually connect Northfield to the Cannon Valley Trail in Cannon Falls, leading all the way to Red Wing, Rochester and Mankato. 

The City of Northfield is starting with repaving Wall Street Road, adding a bike trail next to it and replacing the culvert for Spring Creek underneath it. Building the first link of the bike trail means creating more hard surfaces that cause runoff, so Northfield’s stormwater rules require that they also build a drainage basin to catch that water before it flows into Spring Creek and causes flooding. Though basin construction made a bit of a mess, it’ll provide new wetland habitat and replace a field where trees had difficulty growing because an old farmhouse had compacted the soil. The new culvert will help fix erosion issues by accommodating increasing stormwater and removing a drop that prevented fish and turtles from passing upstream.  

After this project, construction will begin on the state trail section which will follow the edge of the Arb along Spring Creek Road, Highway 19 and Canada Avenue and cross the Cannon and over the old iron bridge. This trail section should be done by fall 2026 and will provide a very pleasant ride and better access to the arboretum. Though any project like this will involve removing a few trees and some construction, we’ve done our best, working with the City of Northfield and Minnesota DNR to route the trail carefully and seize the opportunity to improve local habitats as well. As always, our goal is to make it easier for everyone to enjoy the arboretum while still taking care of the natural spaces that make it special.