Interstate 35E (Minnesota)
Route information | ||||
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Maintained by MnDOT | ||||
Length | 39.340 mi[1] (63.312 km) | |||
NHS | Entire route | |||
Restrictions | Trucks over 9,000 lb (4,100 kg) gross weight prohibited between MN 5 and I-94[2] | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | I-35 / I-35W in Burnsville | |||
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North end | I-35 / I-35W in Columbus, near Forest Lake | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Minnesota | |||
Counties | Dakota, Ramsey, Anoka | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Interstate 35E (I-35E) is an
During the early years of the Interstate Highway System, branching Interstates with directional suffixes, such as N, S, E, and W, were common nationwide. On every other Interstate nationwide, these directional suffixes have been phased out by redesignating the suffixed route numbers with a loop or spur route number designation (such as
Similar to the Texas split, the Minnesota version of I-35E continues the
I-35E in Minnesota is 39 miles (63 km) in length.
Route description
The southern terminus of I-35E is at exit 88A in
The auxiliary lanes from MN 13 leave at the first exit in Saint Paul, a half interchange with
The four lanes of I-35E pass through
From Downtown Saint Paul north to the junction with
I-35E is four lanes wide north of I-694; the third lane added northbound from the I-694 westbound ramp exits immediately onto County Road E (exit 115) in Vadnais Heights. Other than the northern terminus of I-35E (exit 127) in Columbus near Forest Lake, where it merges with I-35W to reform I-35, there are only four interchanges on I-35E north of I-694 between Vadnais Heights and Columbus, all for county roads.[3]
History
Early plans for the Interstate Highway System include a route along roughly the same alignment as the present I-35 through the Twin Cities area but are not detailed enough to show exactly how the cities would be served.[6][7] When preliminary urban routes were laid out in 1955, a split alignment was chosen to serve both cities equally. South of the Twin Cities, I-35 followed the corridor of old US 65, which had followed Lyndale Avenue between Burnsville and Downtown Minneapolis. I-35E was located parallel to MN 13, which cut northeast to Saint Paul from old US 65 south of the Minnesota River. North of the metropolitan area, I-35 closely paralleled US 61, which passed through Saint Paul; I-35W paralleled old US 8 from Minneapolis northeast through New Brighton and then to the present day I-35E/I-35W split at Columbus near Forest Lake, near where old US 8 had joined US 61.[8] The Minnesota Legislature defined I-35E as part of unmarked Legislative Route 390, which stretched south to the Iowa state line and north to the city of Duluth along I-35.
I-35E was completed north of downtown Saint Paul in 1970. The first section to open ran north from Maryland Avenue in Saint Paul to
The southern half of I-35E in the metro area took a lot longer to build. Its first section—a short stretch from
Controversy through the West Seventh neighborhood of Saint Paul
The missing piece through the
The Saint Paul City Council decided in late 1974 to support I-35E, possibly due to the influence of proponents. R.I.P. 35E proposed an alternative to the original plan and convinced the city council to go along with it. The plan included a four-lane
A bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature on May 31, 1975, imposed a moratorium on building I-35E, as well as other area freeways, such as the canceled I-335 project and the MN 55 (Hiawatha Avenue) expansion project. This law defined several new legislative routes, which "may be added by order of the commissioner of transportation to the trunk highway system" (as opposed to other such routes, which were added to that system by the legislature):
Legislative Route No. 380. Beginning at a point on Route No. 390 [I-35E] at its intersection with Shepard Road in the city of Saint Paul; thence extending in a northeasterly direction generally following along the course of Shepard Road to a point on Route No. 112 [Lafayette Freeway]; thence extending in a northeasterly direction to a point on Route No. 392 [I-94] easterly of the downtown area of Saint Paul; providing a connector route between Route No. 390 and Routes No. 112 and 392;
Legislative Route No. 381. Beginning at a point on Route No. 112 [Lafayette Freeway], northerly of the Lafayette Street bridge in the city of Saint Paul; thence extending in a northwesterly direction to a point on Route No. 390 [I-35E], southerly of Maryland Avenue in the city of Saint Paul; providing a connector route between Route No. 112 and Route No. 390; and
Legislative Route No. 382. Beginning at a point on Route No. 390 [I-35E] at its junction with Route No. 111 [MN 5], thence extending in a general northerly direction, within the corridor of the right of way already acquired on the effective date of this act, for Route No. 390, to a point on Short Line Road; thence extending in a northeasterly direction within said corridor of right of way to the intersection of Pleasant Avenue and Kellogg Boulevard in the city of Saint Paul.
Legislative Routes 380 and 381 provided for an alternate alignment of I-35E along Shepard Road and a northerly extension of the Lafayette Freeway, while Legislative Route 382 was a "four-lane parkway facility" that MHD could build along the original alignment of I-35E, but without a connection to I-94. The city announced its support of the parkway in August 1976.[11]
An act passed on April 5, 1978, added a condition to the definition of Legislative Route 390 (I-35E):
Legislative Route No. 390 [I-35E] shall not include any portion of Legislative Route No. 382 [the parkway] as designated by section 161.117 or any portion of any route connecting Route No. 382 to Route No. 392 [I-94], nor shall it include any portion of trunk highway marked number 3 from trunk highway marked number 110 in Dakota County to East Seventh Street in the city of Saint Paul.
At the time, old MN 3 was marked along the nearby Lafayette Freeway (now US 52) from the late 1970s to 1994.[16]
It also allowed a connection from the parkway to I-94, but this link could not be
R.I.P. 35E and other citizens' groups continued to oppose a direct connection, arguing that it would be no different from a typical freeway, since drivers would be more likely to exceed the speed limit if it was a continuous roadway to I-94. Saint Paul changed its mind again in September 1981, supporting a direct connection, along with MnDOT and the Metropolitan Council. A bill passed in March 1982 removed the stipulation that the parkway shall not connect to I-94 and allowed Route 390 (I-35E) to use Route 382 (the parkway). The final EIS was approved at about that time, and several groups, including R.I.P. 35E, filed suit in early 1983.[11]
The suit alleged that the EIS focused almost exclusively on the Pleasant Avenue alignment and that it did not consider the effect of a direct connection on speed limit compliance; faster traffic would mean more noise. Judge
Later changes
The original plans for the I-94 overlap in Downtown Saint Paul did not include the right-side ramps that eliminate weaving.[19] The ramp from I-35E northbound to I-94 eastbound was added when I-35E was finally completed in 1990, and a five-year construction project that was completed in 1992 added the ramp from I-35E southbound to I-94 westbound, as well as a direct ramp from I-35E southbound to the Lafayette Freeway (US 52) to avoid weaving across I-94 east.[20][21] This project was done because the old Spaghetti Junction at the east split of I-35E and I-94 would not be able to handle the extra load from the completed I-35E parkway.[22]
When the first piece of the parkway opened in 1984, unused provisions, pending more study, were added for a direct link to
The 1964 Lexington Bridge across the Mississippi River was replaced by a new bridge, built from 2001 to 2004,[28] due to deterioration of the old structure including cracks in steel beams.[29]
Unweave the Weave, a project to eliminate weaving at the I-694 overlap in Little Canada and Vadnais Heights, was started in 2004 and completed in 2008. The project was designed around several factors, a few of which included increasing freeway traffic capacity, increasing driver safety, and eliminating weaving and lane changes (eliminating "geometric deficiencies"), hence the name of the project, "Unweave the Weave". This weaving was the case for most drivers prior to 2005, before most of the road reconstruction work on the interchanges was done. As a result of lane changing and constant congestion, many accidents occurred on the interchange after its completion in the early 1970s.[30] The current layout of the two Interstates now provides for safer exits and entrances, minimal congestion, and better road surface durability. The project also realigned the two Interstates to improve the infrastructure of the highway from an asphalt surface to a complete concrete surface. Numerous bridges were rebuilt, including the residential streets of Edgerton Street and Labore Road in Vadnais Heights.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) updated the overlapped section between I-694 and I-35E to increase the number of lanes from six (three in each direction) to 12 (six in each direction) and eliminated the requirement to change lanes through the area. The section was rebuilt in concrete instead of asphalt and noise walls were added.[citation needed]
The 1965 bridge just north of Downtown Saint Paul carrying a daily traffic volume of 148,000 vehicles over Cayuga Street and the BNSF Railway line was rated by MnDOT as meeting minimum tolerable limits in 2006. Its superstructure and substructure were described as poor with advanced section loss, deterioration, spalling, or scour.[31] As the fourth busiest bridge in the state,[32] it was scrutinized following the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in nearby Minneapolis on August 1, 2007. The bridge was replaced in a construction project that finished in late 2016.[33][34]
Exit list
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dakota | Burnsville | 88.268 | 142.054 | I-35 south – Albert Lea I-35W north | I-35E south and I-35W south merge into I-35; no access to I-35W from I-35E | |
88.794– 88.848 | 142.900– 142.987 | 88B | CSAH 42 | Access to M Health Fairview | ||
CSAH 11 | ||||||
Eagan | 92.629– 92.649 | 149.072– 149.104 | 92 | MN 77 (Cedar Avenue) – Zoo | ||
93.772 | 150.911 | 93 | CSAH 32 (Cliff Road) | |||
94.906 | 152.736 | 94 | CSAH 30 (Diffley Road) | |||
97.123 | 156.304 | 97A | CSAH 31 (Pilot Knob Road) | Access to Eagan Transit Station | ||
97.433 | 156.803 | 97B | CSAH 28 (Yankee Doodle Road) | Northbound exit is via exit 97A | ||
98.559 | 158.615 | 98 | CSAH 26 (Lone Oak Road) | |||
Mendota Heights | 99.667– 99.684 | 160.398– 160.426 | 99 | I-494 | Signed as exits 99A (east) and 99B (west); I-494 exit 70 | |
101.169– 101.183 | 162.816– 162.838 | 101 | MN 62 | Previously MN 110; signed as exits 101A (east) and 101B (west) southbound | ||
102.590 | 165.103 | 102 | MN 13 (Sibley Highway) / Great River Road (National Route) | Southern end of Great River Road overlap | ||
Mississippi River | 102.630– 102.896 | 165.167– 165.595 | Lexington Bridge | |||
Shepard Road ) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; northern end of Great River Road overlap | |||||
103.688– 103.692 | 166.870– 166.876 | 103B | MN 5 (West 7th Street) | |||
104.464 | 168.119 | 104A | CSAH 38 (Randolph Avenue) | |||
104.599– 104.639 | 168.336– 168.400 | 104B | Ayd Mill Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
105.014– 105.038 | 169.004– 169.042 | 104C | Victoria Street | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
105.562 | 169.886 | 105 | St. Clair Avenue | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
106.281– 106.444 | 171.043– 171.305 | 106A | Grand Avenue | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; access to Children's Minnesota and United Hospital | ||
106.980 | 172.168 | 106B | Kellogg Boulevard | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
107.450 | 172.924 | 106C | 11th Street – State Capitol | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
107.497 | 173.000 | 107B | Minneapolis | South end of I-94 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance; unmarked US 12 west, unmarked US 52 west | ||
107.614 | 173.188 | 107A | I-94 east / US 10 east / US 52 south / 10th Street, Wacouta Street | North end of I-94 overlap; south end of US 10 overlap; unmarked US 12 east | ||
108.042– 108.074 | 173.877– 173.928 | 107C | University Avenue – State Capitol | Southbound exit only; access to Regions Hospital | ||
108.279– 108.311 | 174.258– 174.310 | 108 | CSAH 33 (Pennsylvania Avenue) | Closed; had no southbound entrance | ||
108 | Cayuga Street | Opened partially in 2013; completed in 2016 | ||||
109.400 | 176.062 | 109 | CSAH 31 (Maryland Avenue) | |||
CSAH 30 (Larpenteur Avenue ) / Wheelock Parkway | ||||||
Maplewood | 110.905– 110.931 | 178.484– 178.526 | 110B | Roselawn Avenue | ||
Minneapolis | Signed as exits 111A (east) and 111B (west) | |||||
112.560 | 181.148 | 112 | CSAH 21 (Little Canada Road) | |||
113.531 | 182.710 | 113 | I-694 west / US 10 west | North end of US 10 overlap; south end of I-694 overlap, I-694 exit 46. | ||
Vadnais Heights | 114.181 | 183.757 | 114 | I-694 east | North end of I-694 overlap, I-694 exit 47 | |
115.441 | 185.784 | 115 | County Road E ) | |||
CSAH 96 | ||||||
County Road J | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||||
Anoka | Lino Lakes | 123.570 | 198.867 | 123 | CSAH 14 | |
Columbus | 127.608 | 205.365 | I-35 north – Duluth I-35W south | I-35E north and I-35W north merge into I-35; no access to I-35W from I-35E | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
- United States portal
- U.S. Roads portal
References
- ^ a b Minnesota Department of Transportation (August 14, 2014). "Statewide Trunk Logpoint Listing" (PDF). St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Google (June 2022). "I-35E with Truck Restriction Ahead". Google Street View. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Google (August 13, 2007). "Overview Map of I-35E in Minnesota" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
- ^ Weeks, John A. III (October 4, 2014). "The Highway Edition". Odd Twin Cities. Retrieved August 6, 2012.[self-published source]
- ^ Minnesota Department of Transportation Metro Region. "Unweave the Weave: Reconstruction of the I-35E and I-694 Interchange". Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 10, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- Bureau of Public Roads (1939). Proposed Interregional Highway System (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Bureau of Public Roads – via Wikimedia Commons.
- OCLC 4165975– via Wikimedia Commons.
- OCLC 4165975– via Wikimedia Commons.
- ^ Minnesota Department of Transportation. "Control Section 6285: I-694 west of I-35E" (PDF). Construction Project Log Records. Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2012.
- ^ Minnesota Department of Transportation. Construction Project Log Records. Minnesota Department of Transportation.
- Control Section 6282: I-94 west of I-35E Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (PDF)
- Control Section 6283: I-94 east of I-35E[dead link] (PDF)
- ^ a b c d e f g Cavanaugh, Patricia (October 2006). Politics and Freeways: Building the Twin Cities Interstate System (PDF) (Report). University of Minnesota Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and Center for Transportation Studies. Publication No. CURA 06-01. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 9, 2007.
- ^ Minnesota Department of Transportation. Construction Project Log Records. Minnesota Department of Transportation.
- Control Section 0280: I-35W south of I-35E Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (PDF)
- Control Section 0283: I-35 north of I-35E Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (PDF
- Control Section 6286: I-694 east of I-35E Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (PDF)
- ^ a b c Minnesota Department of Transportation. Construction Project Log Records. Minnesota Department of Transportation.
- Control Section 1982 Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (PDF)
- Control Section 6280[permanent dead link] (PDF)
- Control Section 6281[permanent dead link] (PDF)
- Control Section 0282: I-35E from south to north[permanent dead link] (PDF)
- ^ Minnesota Department of Transportation. Construction Project Log Records. Minnesota Department of Transportation.
- Control Section 1980: I-35 south of I-35E Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (PDF)
- Control Section 1981: I-35W north of I-35E Archived June 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (PDF)
- ^ Gerdes, Del. "Interstate Memories: My Recollections of Interstate Work in District 9". Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
- ^ Rand McNally (1977). Gulf Tourgide (Map).[full citation needed]
- ^ Boxmeyer, Don (October 7, 1990). "New Urban Time Warp Makes Downtown Go by in a Flash of Parkway". St. Paul Pioneer Press. p. 7A.
- ^ Kelly, Sean T. (October 16, 1990). "Last Mile of I-35E Opens in St. Paul After 19-Year Wait". St. Paul Pioneer Press. p. 1B.
- ^ Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (n.d.). "Map of the Capitol Area with the Grounds as They Appear Today" (Map). History of the Capitol Area. Scale not given. St. Paul, MN: Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board. Archived from the original on September 25, 2006. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
- ^ Ahern, Don (May 7, 1989). "Freeway Travel will Fray Nerves". St. Paul Pioneer Press. p. 1A.
- ^ Ahern, Don (October 26, 1992). "Jumbled Junction Takes a New Turn". St. Paul Pioneer Press. p. 1A.
- ^ Kelly, Sean (July 5, 1988). "35E Parkway Work Inching Closer". St. Paul Pioneer Press. p. 1C.
- ^ Saint Paul Department of Public Works (February 1999). Ayd Mill Road Draft Environmental Impact Statement Executive Summary: 2.0 Background (Report). City of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
- ^ Ahern, Don (March 20, 1992). "Council Approves Ayd Mill Link with I-35E for This Summer". St. Paul Pioneer Press. p. 1D.
- ^ City of Saint Paul, Minnesota (July 16, 2002). "Mayor's Ayd Mill Road form letter". City of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
- ^ Snelling Hamline Community Council. "Ayd Mill Road". Snelling Hamline Community Council. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
- ^ Saint Paul Department of Public Works. "Ayd Mill Road Test". City of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
- ^ "Jackhammer Alert". St. Paul Pioneer Press. August 30, 2004. p. B2.
- ^ Doyle, Pat (May 26, 2001). "A Bridge Too Far Gone?". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. p. A23.
- ^ "Unweave the Weave Project Overview". Minnesota Department of Transportation.
- ^ Freitag, Jim (August 11, 2007). "Two Bridges, Bad and Worse". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
- ^ Minnesota Department of Transportation (2006). 2006 Metro Area Traffic Volume Index Map (PDF) (Map). Minnesota Department of Transportation. Sheets 2E, 3E, 3F. Retrieved August 9, 2007.
- ^ Minnesota Department of Transportation. "I-35E Corridor Projects: Cayuga Project". Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
- ^ Minnesota Department of Transportation. "News Release: Southbound Interstate 35E/Cayuga Street ramp in St. Paul opens Dec. 2" (Press release). Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
External links