Ayd Mill Road

Originally known as the Short Line Road, it was renamed in 1987 for John Ayd, a German settler who maintained a mill and residence in the area in the mid-to-late 19th century.

[1] The foundation of the roadway dates back to the 1870s when the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad acquired the right-of-way of the stream bed to lay down tracks.

[2] The "Short Line," as it was called, was one of the main interurban routes that served Saint Paul and its railroad suburbs on its way to Minneapolis at the turn of the 20th century.

In the 1960s, the city of Saint Paul began construction on the Short Line Road, envisioning a below-grade, limited access direct link between I-35E and I-94.

The council ultimately approved a $7.5 million construction project that reduced lanes from four to three and added a protected bicycle and pedestrian trail.