U.S. Route 2 in North Dakota

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This article is about the section of highway in North Dakota. For the entire length of highway, see U.S. Route 2.
U.S. Highway 2 marker
U.S. Highway 2
US 2 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NDDOT
Length358.090 mi[1] (576.290 km)
Existed1926–present
Major junctions
West end US 2 at the Montana state line
Major intersections
East end US 2 at the Minnesota state line
Location
CountiesWilliams, Mountrail, Ward, McHenry, Pierce, Benson, Ramsey, Nelson, Grand Forks
Highway system
  • North Dakota State Highway System
← ND 1→ ND 3

U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is a 358.090-mile (576.290 km) Numbred Highway in North Dakota, which runs from the Montana state line east to the Red River at Grand Forks. The route connects the cities of Williston, Minot, and Grand Forks. Of the 358 miles (576 km) of US 2 in North Dakota, all but the westernmost 12 miles (19 km) have four lanes.

Route description[]

US 2/US 85 concurrency near Williston

US 2 is an east–west highway that runs through North Dakota’s northern tier of larger cities: Williston, Minot, Devils Lake, and Grand Forks. These cities are about 75 to 100 miles (121 to 161 km) north of North Dakota’s southern tier of larger cities located on Interstate 94 (I-94): Dickinson, Bismarck–Mandan, Jamestown, and Fargo–West Fargo. Each city (or pair) in each tier is separated by about 75 to 125 miles (121 to 201 km).

US 2 intersects with two north–south four-lane highways in North Dakota: US 83[2] at Minot and I-29 at Grand Forks. In addition, it junctions with four other U.S. Highways that, except for shorter stretches that are four-laned, are mostly two-lane highways in North Dakota: US 85 at Williston (which is in the process of being converted into an undivided four-lane south of Williston), US 52 at Minot, US 281 at Churchs Ferry (west of Devils Lake), and US 81 at Grand Forks. All six of these highways provide routes either to the border at Mexico or deep into the southern USA.

Between Williston and Minot, US 2 provides several high points where one can view graceful and beautiful landscape for many miles in all directions. Between Minot and Grand Forks, US 2 provides an ever-changing mix of agricultural farm and pasture land, native wetlands, and small lakes set on a gently rolling landscape. US 2 also passes near a large lake named Devils Lake near the city with the same name. Throughout the state, the route generally travels east and west following the Great Northern route which is also used by the Empire Builder. The US 2 route through North Dakota was originally named the Wonderland Trail or the Teddy Roosevelt Trail.

In Rugby, just east of the route's intersection with North Dakota Highway 3 (ND 3), the highway passes the location designated in 1931 as the geographical center of North America. The monument marking the geographic center had to be relocated in 1971 when US 2 was converted from two lanes to four lanes.[3]

History[]

North Dakota has been converting sections of US 2 from two lanes to four lanes for many years. The section from Grand Forks to Minot was completed in 1996. The section from Minot to Williston was completed in the summer of 2008 in a campaign that began a few years ago and was labeled "Across the State in Two Thousand Eight". Actually, US 2 is four-laned from North Dakota’s eastern edge to just past Williston, a stretch of about 343 miles (552 km), leaving the remaining 12 miles (19 km) to the Montana border as a two-lane highway. North Dakota's governor has said that North Dakota will four-lane the remaining stretch if Montana is willing to continue the four-lane project from the border into their state.

Major intersections[]

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Williams​0.0000.000 US 2 west (Theodore Roosevelt Expressway) – Wolf Point, GlasgowContinuation into Montana
12.44920.035 ND 1804 west – Trenton, FairviewWest end of ND 1804 concurrency
14.91924.010 US 85 – Watford CityWilliston Bypass; east end of Theodore Roosevelt Expressway
Williston17.92328.844
 US 2 Bus. east / ND 1804 east (2nd Street W)		East end of ND 1804 concurrency; former US 85 Bus.
20.38332.803
 US 2 Bus. west (2nd Avenue W)		Eastern terminus of US 2 Bus., former US 85 Bus.
25.67441.318 US 85 south / US 85B south – Epping Springbrook Dam, SpringbrookWilliston Bypass; west end of US 85 concurrency, northern terminus of US 85B
​32.44152.209 US 85 north – FortunaEast end of US 85 concurrency
64.207103.331 ND 40 north – TiogaSouthern terminus of ND 40
MountrailStanley90.664145.910 ND 8 – Bowbells, New Town
WardBerthold123.407198.604 ND 28 north – CarpioSouthern terminus of ND 28
​134.397216.291 US 52 west – Kenmare, PortalWest end of US 52 concurrency
Minot143.882231.556
 north – Air Base		North end of US 83 Byp. concurrency
144.326232.270

 US 2 Bus. east / US 52 Bus. east (W Burdick Expressway)		Western terminus of US 2 Bus. and US 52 Bus.
146.366235.553 US 83 (S Broadway Street) – Air Base, BismarckSouth end of US 83 Byp. concurrency
148.753239.395
 US 52 east / US 52 Bus. west (Valley Street) – Jamestown		East end of US 52 concurrency, eastern terminus of US 52 Bus.
150.841242.755
 US 2 Bus. west (E Burdick Expressway) – Minot		Eastern terminus of US 2 Bus.
McHenry​164.236264.312 ND 41 south – VelvaNorthern terminus of ND 41
188.118302.747 ND 14 south – DrakeWest end of ND 14 concurrency
Towner191.834308.727 ND 14 north (Main Street) – UphamEast end of ND 14 concurrency
PierceRugby210.880339.378 ND 3 (3rd Avenue SW) – Dunseith, Harvey
Benson​233.427375.664 ND 30 south – Harlow, MaddockNorthern terminus of ND 30
245.703395.421 US 281 south – MinnewaukanWest end of US 281 concurrency
248.758400.337 US 281 north – CandoEast end of US 281 concurrency
RamseyChurchs Ferry249.961402.273
 north (66th Avenue NE) – Churchs Ferry		Southern terminus of US 281 Bus.
Devils Lake268.630432.318 ND 19 (4th Street NW) – Business District, Minnewaukan
269.354433.483 ND 20 (College Drive N) – Starkweather, Camp Grafton, Fort Totten
NelsonLakota295.468475.510 ND 1 (6th Street E) – Langdon, Pekin
Michigan305.622491.851 ND 35 north – Michigan, WhitmanSouthern terminus of ND 35
Petersburg312.050502.196 ND 32 south – AnetaWest end of ND 32 concurrency
Grand ForksNiagara317.512510.986 ND 32 north – EdinburgEast end of ND 32 concurrency
​330.520531.920 ND 18 – Larimore, Cavalier
Grand Forks355.479572.088 I-29 / US 81 – Fargo, WinnipegExit 141 on I-29
357.460575.276
 US 81 Bus. (N Washington Street) – Grafton
357.539575.403
 US 2 Bus. east (N 5th Street)		Western terminus of US 2 Bus.
Red River of the North358.090576.290North Dakota–Minnesota state line
US 2 east – East Grand Forks, CrookstonContinuation into Minnesota
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also[]


References[]

  1. ^ a b "Route and Mileage Map Insets" (PDF). North Dakota Department of Transportation. 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  2. ^ Google (October 6, 2014). "US 2, US 83, 22nd Avenue intersection at Minot" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  3. ^ "Geographical Center of North America". Rugby, ND: Rugby Area Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved June 6, 2010.

External links[]

Route map:

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Media related to U.S. Route 2 in North Dakota at Wikimedia Commons


U.S. Route 2
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Montana 		North Dakota Next state:
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