Interstate 94 in Minnesota

Interstate 94
Interstate 94 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Mn/DOT
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 , Maple Grove I-394 / US 12 at Minneapolis I-35W at Minneapolis I-35E / US 52 at Saint Paul US 61 / US 10 at Saint 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 Minnesota Trunk Highways Interstate US State Legislative routes ← MN 93 MN 95 →

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

Route description

Lowry Hill Tunnel in Minneapolis.

Interstate 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 MN Highway 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, MN and Hudson, WI, while crossing the St. Croix River.

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

Concurrencies and reroutes

• 40 miles (64 km) north of the Twin Cities near Albertville, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) operates the Minnesota Road Research Facility, which studies the effect of traffic on various road surface types. Westbound traffic is redirected onto 3.5 miles (5.5 km) of pavement outfitted with thousands of sensors. There is a straight-through bypass (the original highway) that can be used when researchers are examining the road up close.
• U.S. Highway 52 is invisibly concurrent with Interstate 94 between the city of Moorhead and downtown Saint Paul. U.S. 52 is signed on maps for this portion, but not along the actual highway.
• U.S. Highway 12 is invisibly concurrent with Interstates 94 and 394 through Minneapolis and Saint Paul to the Minnesota/Wisconsin state line at Hudson. U.S. 12 is signed on maps for this portion, but only briefly along the actual highway.
• Following the I-35W Bridge collapse on August 1, 2007, the detour for I-35W followed I-94 from I-35W to State Highway 280. I-94 was quickly widened by a lane in each direction for this portion to accommodate the additional traffic burden. This detour ended on September 18, 2008 when a new bridge replacing the collapsed span opened.

History

Interstate 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 from Moorhead to St. Cloud, then I-94 stays south of the Mississippi River along the former route of old State Highway 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 U.S. Highway 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.

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 African-American neighborhoods.^[5][4] In Saint Paul, the routing of I-94 is set through and displaces the historic Rondo neighborhood, which prior to the highway construction was the largest African-American community in Saint Paul. By uprooting almost the entire neighborhood, the highway disrupted the vitality of the Saint Paul African American community.^[3][2][4] This history influenced the July 2016 blockade of nearby I-35W by Black Lives Matter protesters, to whom the freeways are symbols of oppressive urban policy.^[6]

The section of I-94 between Maple Grove and Brooklyn Center was completed in 1969.

The section of I-94 between Saint Augusta and Maple Grove was completed in 1973.

The section of I-94 between Albany and Saint Augusta was completed in 1977.

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.^[5]

The last section of I-94 in Minnesota constructed was the ten 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.

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 / 694 / 94 interchange in Maple Grove, also known locally as the Fish Lake Interchange.

From September 2007 to October 2008, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) 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.

On November 17, 2015, a group of Black Lives Matter protesters blocked westbound traffic on the highway in response to the officer-involved shooting of Jamar Clark.^[7]

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Cass	Fargo				I-94 / US 52	Continuation into North Dakota
Red River of the North		0.000	0.000	North Dakota–Minnesota state line
Clay	Moorhead	0.577	0.929	1A	US 75 – Moorhead, Breckenridge
		1.538	2.475	1B	20th Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
		2.709	4.360	2	I-94 Bus. west (34th Street) / CSAH 52 (Main Street Southeast)	Signed as exits 2A (Main Street Southeast) and 2B (34th Street) eastbound
	Glyndon Township	6.075	9.777	6	MN 336 / CSAH 11 – Detroit Lakes, Sabin, Dilworth, Glyndon
	Elkton Township	15.239	24.525	15	CSAH 10 – Sabin, Downer
	Barnesville–Humboldt township line	22.700	36.532	22	MN 9 – Barnesville
	Barnesville	24.542	39.497	24	MN 34 – Detroit Lakes, Barnesville
Wilkin	Prairie Township	32.500	52.304	32	MN 108 / CSAH 30 – Pelican Rapids, Lawndale
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	North end of US 59 overlap
	Fergus Falls	54.167	87.173	54	MN 210 west – Fergus Falls, Breckenridge	West end of MN 210 overlap
		55.860	89.898	55	CSAH 1 – Fergus Falls, Wendell
	Buse Township	57.888	93.162	57	MN 210 east / CSAH 25 – Fergus Falls	East end of MN 210 overlap
	Buse–Dane Prairie township line	61.677	99.260	61	US 59 south / CSAH 82 – Elbow Lake, Fergus Falls	South end of US 59 overlap
	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
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	West end of MN 27 overlap
		103.037	165.822	103	MN 29 – Alexandria, Glenwood
	Orange Township	114.361	184.046	114	MN 27 east / CSAH 3 – Osakis, Westport	East 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
	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
	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, Waite Park, Paynesville
	St. Cloud	167.137	268.981	167	MN 15 – St. Cloud, Kimball	Signed as exits 167A (south) and 167B (north)
		171.223	275.557	171	CSAH 7 / CSAH 75 – St. Augusta, St. Cloud
		173.674	279.501	173	Opportunity Drive (County 75)
Wright	Clearwater	178.953	287.997	178	MN 24 – Clearwater, Annandale
	Silver Creek Township	184.131	296.330	183	CSAH 8 – Hasty, Silver Creek
	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 / 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 Rd.). Eastbound exit signed as 207A&B.
	Maple Grove	214.367	344.990	213	Maple Grove Parkway (CSAH 30)
		216.326	348.143	215	CSAH 109 (Weaver Lake Road)
		216.990– 217.593	349.212– 350.182	216	I-494 east / I-694 begins	West end of I-694 overlap, 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
	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	East end of I-694 overlap, exit 35B.
	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 Broadway Avenue) / Washington Avenue North
		231.350	372.322	230	MN 55 west (Olson Highway, 7th Street North) / 4th Street North	West end of MN 55 overlap
		231.929– 232.234	373.254– 373.744	231A	I-394 west / US 12 west	Half of the possible connections are missing between I-94 and I-394;[lower-alpha 1] west end of US 12 overlap
		232.403– 232.688	374.016– 374.475	Lowry Hill Tunnel
		232.862	374.755	231B	Lyndale Avenue, Hennepin Avenue (Virginia Triangle)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		233.609	375.957	233B	MN 65 south to I-35W south	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
		233.737	376.163	233A	11th Street (west), 5th Avenue South (east)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		232.696	374.488	233C	I-35W north	Eastbound exit only; I-35W exit 16A
		233.904	376.432	233B	I-35W south	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only; I-35W exit 16B
		234.473	377.348	234A	MN 55 east (Hiawatha Avenue)	East end of MN 55 overlap
		234.473	377.348	234B	5th 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	Lexington Parkway
		241.059	387.947	240	Dale Street
		241.868	389.249	241A	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	West 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	East end of I-35E overlap; west 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	East end of US 52 overlap
		244.070	392.793	243	US 61 north (Mounds Boulevard) / Kellogg Boulevard	West end of US 61 overlap
		245.566	395.200	244	US 10 east / US 61 south	East end of US 10 / US 61 overlap
		246.370	396.494	245	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	McKnight Road	Signed as exits 246B (south) and 246C (north) eastbound and 246C-B westbound
	Maplewood	248.328	399.645	247	MN 120 (Century Avenue)
Washington	Woodbury–Oakdale city line	249.449– 249.848	401.449– 402.091	249	I-494 south / I-694 north
	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)	West end of MN 95 overlap
	Lakeland	258.918	416.688	258	MN 95 north / CSAH 18 – Stillwater	East end of MN 95 overlap
St. Croix River		259.663	417.887	Minnesota–Wisconsin state line
St. Croix	Hudson				I-94 / US 12	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

Notes

References

Route map: Bing / Google

• Steve Riner Details of Routes 76 to 100. Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Accessed January 6, 2009.

Interstate 94
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