Interstate 94 in Minnesota

Interstate 94
Blue Star Memorial Highway Purple Heart Trail
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap I-94 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MnDOT
Length	259.49 mi[1] (417.61 km)
Major junctions
West end	I-94 / US 52 at the North Dakota state line
	US 75 at Moorhead US 59 at Fergus Falls US 71 at Sauk Centre US 169 at Brooklyn Park and Maple Grove I-394 / US 12 at Minneapolis I-35W at Minneapolis I-35E / US 10 at St. Paul US 10 / US 61 at St. Paul
East end	I-94 / US 12 at the Wisconsin state line
Location
Counties	Clay, Wilkin, Otter Tail, Grant, Douglas, Todd, Stearns, Wright, Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Minnesota Trunk Highways Interstate US State Legislative routes ← MN 93 → MN 95

Interstate 94 (I-94) in the U.S. state of Minnesota runs 259 miles (417 km) east–west through the central portion of the state. The highway connects the cities of Moorhead, Fergus Falls, Alexandria, St. Cloud, Minneapolis, and Saint Paul.

Route description[]

Lowry Hill Tunnel in Minneapolis.

I-94 enters the state from North Dakota at the city of Moorhead and heads southeast after serving Moorhead.

Traveling southeast from Moorhead, there are several places where the elevation of I-94 rises slightly; these are "beaches" that formed as the glacial lake rose or fell. Finally, at Rothsay, I-94 climbs the last beach line and enters terrain more typical for Minnesota. From Rothsay to the Twin Cities, the terrain of I-94 is rolling with frequent lakes visible from the highway.

I-94 traverses by Fergus Falls, Alexandria, and Sauk Centre on its way to St. Cloud. The "original main street" in Sauk Centre near I-94 commemorates the Sinclair Lewis novel that skewered this town.

Monticello is roughly the midpoint exurb for both St. Cloud and Minneapolis. Between exits 201 (Albertville) and 194 (Monticello) sits the Minnesota Road Research Facility.

Upon arrival to the Twin Cities, I-94 first approaches Minneapolis from the north, then the highway turns east after passing through the Lowry Hill Tunnel and heads to Saint Paul while traveling east.

The road crosses the Mississippi River in Minneapolis between the Prospect Park and Seward neighborhoods. The highway joins Minneapolis and St. Paul together where it meets Minnesota State Highway 280 (MN 280). In Saint Paul, the routing of I-94 is set through the historic Rondo neighborhood, which prior to the highway's construction was the largest African-American community in Saint Paul.^[2][3][4]

Upon leaving Saint Paul, the route travels through suburban Washington County and exits the state into Wisconsin between Lakeland, Minnesota, and Hudson, Wisconsin, while crossing the St. Croix River.

Legally, the Minnesota section of I-94 is defined as unmarked Legislative Route 392 in the Minnesota Statutes § 161.12(4).^[5] I-94 is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway.

History[]

I-94 in Minnesota was authorized as part of the original Interstate network in 1956. It was mostly constructed in the 1960s.

I-94 follows the original route of old U.S. Highway 52 (US 52) from Moorhead to St. Cloud, then I-94 stays south of the Mississippi River along the former route of old MN 152 between St. Cloud and the Twin Cities. I-94 then passes through both downtowns and exits toward Wisconsin along the former route of old US 12.

The first section of I-94 in Minnesota constructed was between Moorhead and Albany in the early 1960s, as an extension of the existing highway in North Dakota.^{[citation needed]}

The section of I-94 between Minneapolis and Saint Paul was completed in 1968. In the Twin Cities, the construction of the highway was politically charged. The highway was built primarily through many working-class and black neighborhoods.^[6][4] In Saint Paul, the routing of I-94 displaced the historic Rondo neighborhood, which prior to the highway construction was the largest African-American community in Saint Paul.^[3][2][4]

The section of I-94 between Maple Grove and Brooklyn Center was completed in 1969.^{[citation needed]}

The section of I-94 between Saint Augusta and Maple Grove was completed in 1973.^{[citation needed]}

The section of I-94 between Albany and Saint Augusta was completed in 1977.^{[citation needed]}

The section of I-94 from Brooklyn Center through north Minneapolis was completed in 1984. Like Rondo in the 1960s, this segment was through a primarily African-American and working-class neighborhood.^[6]

The last section of I-94 in Minnesota constructed was the 10 miles (16 km) between its junction with I-494/I-694 at Woodbury and the Wisconsin state line at Lakeland. This was completed in 1985.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004, a major traffic bottleneck was relieved when a third lane was constructed between Brooklyn Boulevard at Brooklyn Center and Hemlock Lane at Maple Grove. This is located immediately east of the I-494/I-694/I-94 interchange in Maple Grove, also known locally as the Fish Lake Interchange.^{[citation needed]}

From September 2007 to October 2008, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) added a temporary extra lane to I-94 between northbound I-35W and MN 280 in the Twin Cities to help relieve traffic congestion caused by the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge. As a result, this portion of I-94 was not up to Interstate Highway standards during this time period.^{[citation needed]}

Rethinking I-94[]

In 2016, MnDOT launched a project known as Rethinking I-94, which is aimed at reconnecting neighborhoods, revitalizing communities, and ensuring that residents have a voice in transportation decisions.^[7] The construction of I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul was seen as controversial and has been a political debate for many years. MnDOT is planning to reconnect those neighborhoods that were destroyed and separated in 1960.

Exit list[]

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Red River of the North		0.000	0.000		I-94 west / US 52 west – Fargo, Bismarck	Continuation into North Dakota
				North Dakota–Minnesota state line
Clay	Moorhead	0.577	0.929	1A	US 75 – Moorhead, Breckenridge	Breckenridge only signed eastbound; also access to Heritage-Hjemkomst Center, Concordia College, Minnesota State University, Bluestem Trollwood
		1.538	2.475	1B	20th Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
		2.709	4.360	2	I-94 BL west (34th Street) / CSAH 52 (Main Avenue Southeast)	Signed as exits 2A (Main Avenue Southeast) and 2B (34th Street) eastbound
	Glyndon Township	6.075	9.777	6	MN 336 / CSAH 11 – Sabin	Sabin only signed eastbound; also access to US 10, Detroit Lakes, Airport, Glyndon, Dilworth
	Elkton Township	15.239	24.525	15	CSAH 10 – Downer, Sabin	Sabin only signed westbound
	Barnesville–Humboldt township line	22.700	36.532	22	MN 9 – Barnesville	Barnesville only signed eastbound
	Barnesville	24.542	39.497	24	MN 34 – Detroit Lakes, Barnesville	Detroit Lakes only signed eastbound and Barnesville only signed westbound
Wilkin	Prairie View Township	32.500	52.304	32	MN 108 / CSAH 30 – Pelican Rapids
Wilkin–Otter Tail county line	Rothsay	38.226	61.519	38	Rothsay
Otter Tail	Fergus Falls Township	50.479– 50.899	81.238– 81.914	50	US 59 north / CSAH 88 – Fergus Falls, Pelican Rapids, Detroit Lakes	Northern end of US 59 overlap; Fergus Falls only signed eastbound, and Pelican Rapids/Detroit Lakes only signed westbound
	Fergus Falls	54.167	87.173	54	MN 210 west – Fergus Falls, Breckenridge	Western end of MN 210 overlap; also access to Lincoln Avenue, Airport
		55.860	89.898	55	CSAH 1 – Fergus Falls, Wendell	Wendell only signed eastbound
	Buse Township	57.888	93.162	57	MN 210 east / CSAH 25 – Fergus Falls	Eastern end of MN 210 overlap
	Buse–Dane Prairie township line	61.677	99.260	61	US 59 south / CSAH 82 – Elbow Lake, Fergus Falls	Southern end of US 59 overlap; Elbow Lake only signed eastbound, and Fergus Falls only signed westbound
	Tumuli Township	67.624	108.830	67	CSAH 35 – Dalton
Grant	Pelican Lake Township	77.099	124.079	77	MN 78 north / CSAH 10 – Ashby, Barrett	Also access to Battle Lake
Douglas	Evansville Township	82.908	133.427	82	MN 79 west / CSAH 41 – Evansville, Elbow Lake
	Brandon Township	90.096	144.995	90	CSAH 7 – Brandon
	La Grand Township	97.415	156.774	97	MN 114 south / CSAH 40 – Garfield, Lowry
	Alexandria	100.685	162.037	100	MN 27 west / CSAH 46 – Alexandria	Western end of MN 27 overlap; Alexandria only signed eastbound
		103.037	165.822	103	MN 29 – Alexandria, Glenwood	Also access to Alexandria Tech & Community College
	Orange Township	114.361	184.046	114	MN 27 east / CSAH 3 – Osakis, Westport	Eastern end of MN 27 overlap
Todd	West Union Township	119.148	191.750	119	CSAH 46 – West Union
Stearns	Sauk Centre Township	124.730	200.733	124	CSAH 72 (Sinclair Lewis Avenue)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
	Sauk Centre	127.179	204.675	127	US 71 / MN 28 – Sauk Centre, Willmar, Glenwood	Willmar only signed eastbound, and Glenwood only signed westbound
	Melrose Township	131.079	210.951	131	MN 4 south – Meire Grove, Paynesville
	Melrose	134.974	217.220	135	CSAH 13 – Melrose
	Oak Township	137.864	221.871	137	MN 237 / CSAH 65 – New Munich
	Freeport	140.865	226.700	140	CSAH 11 – Freeport
	Albany	146.916	236.438	147	MN 238 / CSAH 10 – Albany
	Avon	153.313	246.733	153	CSAH 9 – Avon	Also access to Holdingford
	Avon Township	156.531	251.912	156	CR 159 – St. John's University
	St. Joseph Township	158.142	254.505	158	CSAH 75 – St. Cloud	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
		160.436	258.197	160	CSAH 2 – St. Joseph, Cold Spring
		164.514	264.760	164	MN 23 – St. Cloud, Rockville, Waite Park, Paynesville	Signed as "St. Cloud, Rockville" eastbound and "Waite Park, Paynesville" westbound
	St. Cloud	167.137	268.981	167	MN 15 – St. Cloud, Kimball	Signed as exits 167A (south) and 167B (north); also access to Waite Park
		171.223	275.557	171	CSAH 7 / CSAH 75 – St. Augusta, St. Cloud
		173.674	279.501	173	Opportunity Drive (CSAH 75)
Wright	Clearwater	178.953	287.997	178	MN 24 – Clearwater, Annandale	Also access to Clear Lake
	Silver Creek Township	184.131	296.330	183	CSAH 8 – Hasty, Silver Creek	Also access to Maple Lake
	Monticello	194.075	312.333	193	MN 25 – Monticello, Buffalo
		195.577	314.751	194	CSAH 18 / CSAH 39 – Monticello
	Albertville	201.939	324.989	201	CSAH 19 – Albertville, St. Michael	No eastbound entrance; westbound exit via distributor ramp at exit 202
		202.693	326.203	202	CSAH 37 – Albertville	Westbound exit is a distributor ramp for exits 202 and 201 and signed as 202&201
	St. Michael	205.679	331.008	205	MN 241 west / CSAH 36 – St. Michael
Hennepin	Rogers	208.352	335.310	207	MN 101 (North Bypass) / CSAH 81 – Elk River, Rogers	Westbound exit signed as 207A (south CR 81 and north MN 101) and 207B (north MN 101 flyover ramp bypassing Diamond Lake Road); eastbound signed as exits 207A and 207B; also access to Otsego
	Dayton			210	CSAH 117 (Dayton Parkway)	Interchange to be constructed in 2020-2021, will be built as a Diverging diamond interchange[8]
	Maple Grove			212	MN 610 east	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; opened December 2016
		214.367	344.990	213	CSAH 30 (Maple Grove Parkway)
		216.326	348.143	215	CSAH 109 (Weaver Lake Road)
		216.990– 217.593	349.212– 350.182	216	I-494 east / I-694 begin	Western end of I-694 overlap; I-494/I-694 exit 27
		218.084	350.972	28	CSAH 61 (Hemlock Lane)
	Maple Grove–Brooklyn Park city line	219.603	353.417	29	US 169	Signed as exits 29A (south) and 29B (north)
	Brooklyn Park	220.153	354.302	30	Boone Avenue
		221.078	355.791	31	CSAH 81 (Bottineau Boulevard)
	Brooklyn Center	223.103	359.049	33	CSAH 152 (Brooklyn Boulevard)
		224.258	360.908	34	To MN 100 / Shingle Creek Parkway
		223.816– 225.620	360.197– 363.100	225	I-694 east / MN 252 north	Eastern end of I-694 overlap, I-694 exit 35B; Minneapolis–St. Paul Bypass
	Minneapolis	226.350– 227.351	364.275– 365.886	226	53rd Avenue North/49th Avenue North
		228.519	367.766	228	Dowling Avenue North
		230.246– 230.590	370.545– 371.099	229	CSAH 81 west (West Broadway Avenue) / CSAH 66 / CSAH 152 (North Washington Avenue)	Washington Avenue not signed eastbound
		231.350	372.322	230	MN 55 west (Olson Memorial Highway) / 4th Street North/7th Street North	Western end of MN 55 overlap
		231.929– 232.234	373.254– 373.744	231A	I-394 / US 12 west	Western end of US 12 overlap; no access to I-394/12 east; I-394 exit 8B
		232.403– 232.688	374.016– 374.475	Lowry Hill Tunnel
		232.862	374.755	231B	CSAH 22 south (Lyndale Avenue) / Hennepin Avenue	Virginia Triangle
		233.609	375.957	233B	I-35W south	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; I-35W exit 16A; access via old MN 65
		233.737	376.163	233A	11th Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		233.696	376.097	233C	I-35W north	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; I-35W exit 16A
					5th Avenue	Eastbound entrance only
		233.904	376.432	233B	I-35W south	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; I-35W exit 16B
		234.473	377.348	234A	MN 55 east (Hiawatha Avenue)	Eastern end of MN 55 overlap
		234.473	377.348	234B	7th Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		234.730	377.761	234C	CSAH 152 (Cedar Avenue)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		235.296– 235.433	378.672– 378.893	235A	25th Avenue/Riverside Avenue
		235.716– 235.906	379.348– 379.654	Dartmouth Bridge over the Mississippi River
		235.951– 236.085	379.726– 379.942	235B	Huron Boulevard
Ramsey	Saint Paul	237.081	381.545	236	MN 280 / University Avenue/Pelham Boulevard
		237.757	382.633	237	Cretin Avenue/Vandalia Street
		239.065	384.738	238	MN 51 / Snelling Avenue
		239.564	385.541	239A	Hamline Avenue	Westbound exit only
		240.063	386.344	239B	CSAH 51 (Lexington Parkway)
		241.059	387.947	240	CSAH 53 (Dale Street)
		241.868	389.249	241A	CSAH 56 north (Marion Street) / Kellogg Boulevard – State Capitol
		242.040	389.526	241B	10th Street, 5th Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		242.045	389.534	242A	12th Street – State Capitol	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		242.252– 242.554	389.867– 390.353	241C	I-35E south	Western end of I-35E overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance only; I-35E exit 107B
		242.768– 243.146	390.697– 391.306	242B	I-35E north / US 10 west	Eastern end of I-35E overlap; western end of US 10 overlap; I-35E exit 107A
		243.067	391.178	242C	7th Street	Eastbound exit only
		243.448	391.792	242D	US 52 south / 6th Street	Eastern end of US 52 overlap; 6th Street not signed eastbound
		244.070	392.793	243	US 61 north (Mounds Boulevard) / Kellogg Boulevard	Western end of US 61 overlap
		245.566	395.200	244	US 10 east / US 61 south	Eastern end of US 10/US 61 overlap
		246.370	396.494	245	CSAH 65 (White Bear Avenue)
		246.866	397.292	246A	Ruth Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
	Saint Paul–Maplewood city line	247.370	398.103	246	CSAH 68 (McKnight Road)
	Maplewood	248.328	399.645	247	MN 120 north / CSAH 23 south / Century Avenue
Washington	Woodbury–Oakdale city line	249.449– 249.848	401.449– 402.091	249	I-494 south / I-694 north	Minneapolis–St. Paul Bypass via I-694
	Woodbury–Lake Elmo city line	250.838	403.685	250	CSAH 13 (Inwood Avenue, Radio Drive)
		251.378	404.554	251	CSAH 19 (Keats Avenue, Woodbury Drive)
		253.377	407.771	253	MN 95 south / CSAH 15 (Manning Avenue)	Western end of MN 95 overlap
	Lakeland	258.918	416.688	258	MN 95 north / CSAH 18 – Stillwater	Eastern end of MN 95 overlap
St. Croix River		259.663	417.887	Minnesota–Wisconsin state line
					I-94 east / US 12 east – Madison	Continuation into Wisconsin
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Auxiliary routes[]

• I-394, direct link between Minneapolis and western suburbs
• I-494, southern/western portion of beltway loop
• I-694, northern/eastern portion of beltway loop

References[]

Route map:

External links[]

• Steve Riner Details of Routes 76 to 100. Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page.

Interstate 94
Previous state: North Dakota	Minnesota	Next state: Wisconsin