- Dakota Rail Regional Trail
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The Dakota Rail Trail runs 20 miles (32 km) from Wayzata to Mayer, Minnesota. Along the way it runs through the towns of Spring Park and St. Bonifacious. It is famous for being the first trail to connect Lake Minnetonka and Lake Waconia.
Contents
History
The line was charted 1885 by James J Hill, and the St. Paul and Pacific Railway, later Great Northern Railway.[citation needed] It was known as the "Hutch Spur"
Great Northern merged with Northern Pacific Railway, which formed Burlington Northern Railroad. Burlington northern sold the line to Dakota Rail in 1985, where it operated both freight and dinner trains.
In 1995, RailAmerica purchased the Dakota Rail. The last train left Hutchinson in 2001, when the line was abandoned. It was bought up by Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority, Carver County and McLeod County.
Hennepin County
In 2008, Hennepin County (Three Rivers Park District) began building the Dakota Rail Trail,[1]
Carver County
In spring 2010, Carver County began a section from St. Bonifacious to Mayer. This section runs 7 miles. It officially opened May 21, 2011
Carver County wants to extend it to Lester Prairie by 2013.
Bridges
Perhaps the most loved bridge is the bridge over Crystal Bay in Minnetonka Beach, nicknamed the Arcola Trestle.
It consists of several spans of trestles with 2 Through Plate Girder sections.
Another popular one is the Seton Channel Bridge in Spring Park.
It is similar to the Arcola Trestle, only there is 1 Through Plate Girder Section.
A couple more are:
- Tanger Lake Trestle, Orono
- Lake Waconia Trestle (Burlington Northern Bridge #40.3),Lake Waconia
References
- ^ which would be completed from Wayzata to St. Bonifacious in July 2009
Categories:- Protected areas of Carver County, Minnesota
- Protected areas of Hennepin County, Minnesota
- Protected areas of McLeod County, Minnesota
- Rail trails in Minnesota
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