A part of the Gateway State Trail, one of the state's busiest recreational pathways, will be closed in both directions for nine days starting Monday. The closure, at the tunnel under Hwy. 36 in Pine Springs, is necessary as construction crews complete utility work as part of the Hwy. 36/Hilton Trail reconstruction project, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).

Pedestrians and bicyclists in that area will want to seek an alternate route starting at 7 a.m. The work is scheduled to be completed by the morning of June 25.

The 18-mile-long Gateway State Trail starts in St. Paul at Cayuga Park and ends at Pine Point Regional Park near Stillwater. It passes through Phalen-Keller Regional Park, Maplewood, Pine Springs and North St. Paul, and links with other trails in the state system.

Work on the $13.8 million Hwy. 36/Hilton Trail project, which will replace a signal light with an interchange, is scheduled to be completed by fall.

Jim Anderson