Historic U.S. 61: Plum Street and Mounds Boulevard, St. Paul
Plum Street
and Mounds Boulevard
Located In: City of St. Paul, Ramsey County.
Bypassed: ca 1931
Length: 0.39 miles
Also Marked As:
(1926-1931)
(1926-1931)
(1921-1931)
(1921-1931)
Parts of Plum Street and Mounds Boulevard near the U.S. 61 exit on I-94 were once part of U.S. 61's original route out of the east side of St. Paul.
Construction
Plum Street and Mounds Boulevard were most likely already paved as city streets when U.S. 61 was first marked in 1926. Street-car tracks ran down one block of Plum Street between Maria Avenue and Hudson Road (then Hastings Avenue).
Bypass History
The jog on Plum and Mounds Boulevard was bypassed in about 1931 by the construction of a westward extension of Hudson Road, connecting it directly with Mounds Boulevard. The Hudson Road extension was likely part of the construction of the new Kellogg Boulevard viaduct, opened to traffic in 1931.
Current Status
Most of the old jog has been destroyed by further highway development in the area. Plum Street's connection to Hudson Road was closed off in 1948 by the construction of a grade-seperated expressway along what eventually became I-94. Construction of I-94 in 1966 wiped out the old Mounds Boulevard connection.
Only a block of Plum Street and a tiny stub of the old Mounds Boulevard connection have survived as local streets. There is little to indicate their historic role as part of one of the main routes out of St. Paul.
Photo Tour - Photos were taken in May, 2007.
Looking northwest down Mounds Boulevard towards the interchange with I-94.
The landscape here has been dramatically altered by the construction of the
interstate. The old alignment of Mounds Boulevard is long gone.
Looking southeast down Mounds Boulevard at Plum Street. U.S. 61 southbound
would have made a hard left turn here.
A different view from about the same location, looking east down Plum Street
from Mounds Boulevard.
Looking east down Plum Street towards the I-94 sound wall.
Another view to the east down Plum Street towards the intersection with Maria
Avenue. The old Maria streetcar line met Plum at the intersection just ahead
before turning towards Hudson Road. The tracks on Plum were ripped up
when the U.S. 12/U.S. 10/U.S. 61 expressway was constructed in 1948/1949.
One last view of Plum Street, looking back to the southwest towards Mounds
Boulevard.
