Interstate 94 (I-94) in the US state of

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

runs east–west through the central portion of the state. The highway connects the cities of Moorhead, Fergus Falls,

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, St. Cloud,

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, and

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

. Authorized in 1956, it was mostly constructed in the 1960s. For its whole length, it runs concurrently with either US Highway 52 (US 52) or US 12.

Route description

I-94 enters the state from

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

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 Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

, the terrain of I-94 is rolling with frequent lakes visible from the highway. I-94 traverses by Fergus Falls,

, and Sauk Centre on its way to St. Cloud. The "original main street" in Sauk Centre near I-94 commemorates the

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1930, he became the first author from the United States (and the first from the America ...

novel that skewered this town.

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

is roughly the midpoint

exurb An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburbs, suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing-density, and rela ...

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

from the north, then the highway turns east after passing through the Lowry Hill Tunnel and heads to

while traveling east. The road crosses the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

in Minneapolis between the

Prospect Park Prospect Park may refer to: Businesses * Prospect Park (production company), entertainment production company *Prospect Park Productions NZ, theatre company based in Dunedin, New Zealand Places New Zealand * Prospect Park, New Zealand, a portion ...

and Seward neighborhoods. The highway joins

and

together where it meets

Minnesota State Highway 280 Minnesota State Highway 280 (MN 280) is a highway in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota that travels from its Interchange with Interstate 94/ U.S.Route 12/ US Route 52 (I-94/US 12/US 52) in Saint Paul to its interchan ...

(MN 280). In Saint Paul, the routing of I-94 is set through the historic

Rondo neighborhood The Rondo neighborhood, or simply Rondo, is located within the officially designated Summit-University district in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The boundaries of the historically black neighborhood are sometimes referred to as Old Rondo. For much o ...

, which, prior to the highway's construction, was the largest Black community in Saint Paul. Upon leaving Saint Paul, the route travels through suburban Washington County and exits the state into

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

between Lakeland, Minnesota, and

Hudson, Wisconsin Hudson is a city in and the county seat of St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 14,755. It is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. History Several Li ...

, while crossing the St. Croix River. Legally, the Minnesota section of I-94 is defined as unmarked

Legislative Route In the United States, a legislative route (LR) or legislative highway is a highway defined by law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise d ...

392 in the Minnesota Statutes § 161.12(4). I-94 is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway.

Transit

Intercity bus service An intercity bus service (North American English) or intercity coach service (British English and Commonwealth English), also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public t ...

is provided along the entire length of the I-94 corridor. Service northwest of the Twin Cities is provided by

Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...

, while

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...

Flixbus FlixBus (; styled FLiXBUS) is a German brand that offers low-cost Intercity bus service, intercity coach services in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. It is owned by , which also operates FlixTrain, FlixCar, , and Greyhound Lines. F ...

, and Wisconsin Coach Lines provide service east of the Twin Cities. Local bus services operated by Metro Transit and Maple Grove Transit also utilize I-94 in the Twin Cities metro.

History

I-94 in Minnesota was authorized as part of the original Interstate System in 1956. It was mostly constructed in the 1960s. I-94 follows the original route of old US 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

. I-94 then passes through both downtowns and exits toward

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. The section of I-94 between

and

was completed in 1968 and dedicated December 9. In the Twin Cities, the construction of the highway was politically charged. The highway was built primarily through many working-class and Black neighborhoods. In Saint Paul, the routing of I-94 displaced the historic Rondo Neighborhood, which, prior to the highway's construction, was the largest Black community in Saint Paul. The section of I-94 between Maple Grove and

Brooklyn Center Brooklyn Center is a first-ring suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. In 1911, the area became a village formed from parts of Brooklyn Township and Crystal Lake Townshi ...

was completed in 1969, between St. Augusta and Maple Grove in 1973 and between Albany and St. Augusta in 1977. The section of I-94 from Brooklyn Center through north Minneapolis was completed in 1984. Like the Rondo neighborhood in the 1960s, this segment was through a primarily Black and working-class neighborhood. The last section of I-94 in Minnesota constructed was the between its junction with I-494/

I-694 Interstate 694 (I-694) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway located in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in the US state of Minnesota. The western terminus of the route is at its junction with Interstate 94 in Minneso ...

at Woodbury and the Wisconsin state line at Lakeland. This was completed in 1985. In 2004, 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. From September 2007 to October 2008, the

Minnesota Department of Transportation The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT, ) oversees Transportation in Minnesota, transportation by all modes including land, water, air, rail, walking and bicycling in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Cabinet (government), cabinet-lev ...

(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 The I-35W Mississippi River bridge (officially known as Bridge 9340) was an eight-lane, steel truss arch bridge that carried Interstate 35W across the Mississippi River one-half mile (875 m) downstream from the Saint Anthony Falls in Minneap ...

. As a result, this portion of I-94 was not up to

Interstate Highway standards Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway t ...

during this time period.

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. The construction of I-94 between Minneapolis and Saint Paul was controversial and has been a political debate for many years. MnDOT is considering reconnecting those neighborhoods that were destroyed and separated in 1960.

Exit list

Auxiliary routes

* I-394, direct link between Minneapolis and western suburbs * I-494, southern/western portion of beltway loop *

, northern/eastern portion of beltway loop

References

External links