B-Line: B for Breathtaking

The History of The B-Line Trail

The B-Line Trail is one of Bloomington’s most frequented trails, spanning 3.1 miles long across downtown Bloomington and other areas from Adams Street to Country Club Dr. To understand the current state of the trail, we must first look to the past to understand how it started and what has to happened in between. In the past Bloomington was linked by railroads to New Albany & Salem, and then later to Chicago, Indianapolis, & Louisville. As a result, there was a switchyard here to count for the fact that this was a rail hub for the South Central Indiana region (hence the name of current Switchyard Park). In 1976, the switchyard had begun to be dismantled. Fast forwarding to 2001, the City of Bloomington began to plan about potentially acquiring these parts of the abandoned railroad, as well as the switchyard. In 2005, Bloomington officially purchase the 3.1 mile railroad corridor that now represents the 3.1 mile B-Line. They broke ground for the project in 2008, before officially constructing the trail in 2011. Later on, the 65 acres construction of Switchyard Park added on to the popularity of the B-Line Trail, making it perhaps Bloomington’s premier trail due to all of features on the trail and near it.

Start & End Point: Putting the Line in B-Line

Map of the B-Line. Trail in red &my journey along it in white.

My B-line Journey started with a walk over from Franklin Hall by the Sample Gates, where I had been taking pictures for Luddy at the Informatics Capstone Fair. After this, I went to the Kirkwood Noodles & Company to grab some food before my long walk. I secured my Roasted Garlic Cream Tortellini & started to eat on my walk over to the B-Line. I entered the B-line right by the Bloomington Bagel Company and began to walk the trail. I walked all the way to the top end of the trail by Adams street before continuing my journey back. I have been on the other side of the B-Line towards Switchyard Park, so my goal this time was to spend more time on the other side and explore it a little deeper and dig in to what all was there.

My Experience

The weather was really nice when I walked the B-Line. Originally, the forecast said that there was a good chance that it would rain about an hour into my walk, but that never happened, so I was able to enjoy the weather and not be wet throughout it. There was a gentle breeze occasionally, but throughout the time it was right around mid 70s/low 80s (*F) in terms of temperature. With regards to sights, there was quite a bit of artwork that caught my attention. Right between Le Petit Cafe & the Bloomington Antique Mall (my favorite place to thrift in town), there were some beautiful murals of flowers as well as some black & white murals of nearby places in Bloomington.

Murals & Art by Le Petit Cafe & Antique Mall.

I also caught this mural by Rogers Street that looked like it was drawn by children.

Children’s murals by Rogers Street & B-Line Heights.

Of the more random things, I saw two separate benches, one of them with two different types of potatoes, and the other with eight little tangerines. As I saw those, I just wondered how they got there and what their stories were. It made me think about how many random and unusual things you can see in a public space like a park or a trail. I also think I saw a bobcat nearby, but they were a little far away in the trail, and it went in the grass quickly before I could find out what it really was.

Where I Stopped

One of my stops was by Johnson’s Creamery. It was quite interesting to learn a little about the history of Bloomington, especially, when it came to seeing how milk was made and provided in the city in the early 1900s.

Some of the more historical parts and information notes along the trail that I stopped to read.

I also made a stop behind Shower’s City Hall. Here I learned a bit of history about those buildings and why they were tooth roofed, and also found out that Bloomington once had the largest furniture factory in the world (using that for random fun facts in the future).

The People

There was quite an interesting mixture people that I saw throughout my time on the trail. I had a group of 4 bikers bike by on the trail, and I could tell that they were getting some last day training in because they had their Little 500 gear on. I saw a middle aged man walking his two dogs (they were adorable). I also saw multiple couples along the trail, one of which was traveling on a dual connected bicycle. There was also a mom & her daughter who were biking along the trail towards the Switchyard park side.

Types of Transportation

As I mentioned before, there was a couple I went by who were biking as well as a mother & her daughter who were biking together. There were also the team of Little 5 Bikers who were doing some long distance biking at a faster speed compared to the other bikers and pedestrians. It was interesting looking at the wide range of pedestrians and the speeds that they were going at. You could tell some were going at a certain slower pace to enjoy the views and walk overall, while others may have been simply getting from one place to another. I also a saw a couple with their shopping bags, so I assume that they might have been going home.

Connectivity

With regards to connectivity, the B-Line covers a wide variety of uses and places within Bloomington. One such part is residential and apartment housing. Right on Rogers Street, there is an apartment housing complex rightly named B-Line Heights. Rogers Street, as well as a few parts on the downtown part of the trail, are some of the areas where you do have to cross a street with cars going by. Making some of these continuous areas that cars can’t access could certainly make the trail more connected and more friendly to users.

Different Land Uses

The trail is also connected to the western part of the Bloomington Downtown square area, so there is access and connection to all the shops, restaurants, and areas there. As I mentioned before with the B-Line Heights, there are different varieties of housing around or near the trail. I definitely will be walking the line more often when I go towards this side of town.

Smart City Strategies

One thing that could be done in order to make the B-Line a more interesting public space would be for the City and IU School of Art, Design, & Architecture to create a partnership to create new pieces of artwork. Maybe even having a senior project or annual student project where students in the Art School created designs, murals, floor drawings, etc to help decorate along the trail would help to make the trail and city even more of an Art hub and encourage tourists, students, and locals to visit the trail itself.

My second strategy comes from an issue that I actually came across myself. I had finished eating my Noodles and Co towards the more northern part of the trail by Adams street. I think that adding more trash cans & recycling options, especially at a higher interval across the trail, would help to encourage people to throw those away rather than littering. Although I personally held on to it until I found a trash can (which was only all the way at the end of the trail by the actual rails at Adams Street), I am sure that there would be people who wouldn’t wait that long. If we were to integrate trash cans that are more efficient technologically (especially when it comes to sensors that let the city know they need to be replaced), that could help make the trail more clean