Interstate 35W (I-35W) is an
Interstate Highway in the US state of
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, passing through downtown
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
. It is one of two through routes for
I-35 through 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 sta ...
of Minneapolis and
Saint Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
, the other being
I-35E Interstate 35E may refer to:
*Interstate 35E (Texas), a long branch route serving Dallas, Texas
*Interstate 35E (Minnesota), a long branch route serving St. Paul, Minnesota
See also
* Interstate 35W (disambiguation) Interstate 35W may refer to:
* ...
through downtown Saint Paul.
Traveling north, I-35 splits at
Burnsville, and the I-35W route runs north for , carrying its own separate sequence of exit numbers. It runs through the city of Minneapolis before rejoining with I-35E to reform I-35 in
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
near
Forest Lake. I-35W supplanted sections of old
U.S. Highway 8 (US 8) northeast of Minneapolis and old
US 65 south of Minneapolis that have since been removed from the
United States Numbered Highway System
The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...
.
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
I-270 in Maryland, which was once I-70S) or, in some cases, were assigned a different route number (such as
I-76
Interstate 76 may refer to:
Interstate Highways in the United States
* Interstate 76 (Colorado–Nebraska)
* Interstate 76 (Ohio–New Jersey), running through Pennsylvania
Video gaming
* ''Interstate '76
''Interstate '76'' is a vehicular ...
, which was once I-80S). In the case of I-35 in the Twin Cities area, since neither branch is clearly the main route and both branches return to a unified Interstate beyond the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, officials at the
(AASHTO) have allowed the suffixes of E and W in Minnesota to remain in the present day. I-35 also splits into
I-35E Interstate 35E may refer to:
*Interstate 35E (Texas), a long branch route serving Dallas, Texas
*Interstate 35E (Minnesota), a long branch route serving St. Paul, Minnesota
See also
* Interstate 35W (disambiguation) Interstate 35W may refer to:
* ...
and
I-35W Interstate 35W may refer to:
* Interstate 35W (Texas), an Interstate highway serving Fort Worth, Texas, and its suburbs
* Interstate 35W (Minnesota), a Interstate highway serving Minneapolis, Minnesota, and its suburbs
**The I-35W Mississippi Riv ...
in
Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas, for similar reasons as the I-35 split in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area.
Route description
![I-35W and Minneapolis skyline 5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/I-35W_and_Minneapolis_skyline_5.jpg)
The southern terminus of I-35W is at
Burnsville, where I-35 splits into I-35E and I-35W. While I-35E takes a northeasterly path into Saint Paul, I-35W heads north into Minneapolis. I-35W maintains a northbound direction in Burnsville with two lanes and adds a third lane at Burnsville Parkway. It then crosses the
Minnesota River into
Bloomington. At the Bloomington–
Richfield city boundary, I-35W has a
cloverleaf interchange with
I-494
Interstate 494 (I-494) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway making up part of a beltway of I-94, circling through the southern and western portions of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota. The road is coupled with I- ...
at exits 9A and 9B. I-35W continues northbound into Richfield, where it turns east and joins with
Minnesota State Highway 62 (MN 62) for about in what is locally known as the ''Crosstown Commons''. I-35W and MN 62 split as two lanes of I-35W turn northbound toward downtown Minneapolis, where it adds back a third lane and then later a fourth and a fifth lane at the 46th Street onramp.
I-35W swerves slightly northeast immediately south of downtown to avoid the
Washburn-Fair Oaks Mansion District. Three lanes then split north onto
MN 65 (Old
US 65), which exits into downtown. The two righthand lanes of I-35W curve a sharp right east where it runs side by side with
I-94 and
US 52 for less than , allowing drivers to exchange highways. Here, the interchange with I-94/US 52 does not have direct access for southbound I-35W to eastbound I-94/southbound US 52 or westbound I-94/northbound US 52 to northbound I-35W. Drivers must use the Cedar and Washington avenue exits to make these connections. Alternatively,
MN 280 provides an expressway link for motorists needing to make these connections.
I-35W completes its eastern loop around downtown, and then crosses the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
on the
St. Anthony Falls Bridge and winds northeast out of
Northeast Minneapolis
Northeast is a defined community in the U.S. city of Minneapolis that is composed of 13 smaller neighborhoods whose street addresses end in "NE". Unofficially it also includes the neighborhoods of the University community which have "NE" addre ...
. Here, I-35W passes through industrial areas near the suburbs of
St. Anthony,
Lauderdale
Lauderdale is the valley of the Leader Water (a tributary of the Tweed) in the Scottish Borders. It contains the town of Lauder, as well as Earlston. The valley is traversed from end to end by the A68 trunk road, which runs from Darlington to ...
,
Roseville, and
Arden Hills
Arden Hills is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,552 at the 2010 census. Bethel University and Seminary is located in the city of Arden Hills. Also, the campus of University of Northwestern – St. Paul s ...
.
I-35W then meets
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 I-94, I-494, and US H ...
in
New Brighton and
Arden Hills
Arden Hills is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,552 at the 2010 census. Bethel University and Seminary is located in the city of Arden Hills. Also, the campus of University of Northwestern – St. Paul s ...
at a
cloverleaf interchange at exits 26B and 26C.
US 10 joins I-35W north of the I-35W/I-694 interchange at exit 28A. I-35W and US 10
run concurrently for another before the latter turns westward in
Mounds View and
Shoreview
Shoreview is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota. The population was 25,043 at the time of the 2010 census. In 2008, Shoreview ranked fourth in a ''Family Circle'' list of best family towns.
Geography
According to the United States Census Burea ...
at exit 30. I-35W passes next to the former site of the Twin Cities Ordnance Plant and again turns northeastward through the suburbs of
Blaine and
Lino Lakes. The communities of
Lexington and
Circle Pines are also nearby throughout this stretch. I-35W then merges with I-35E to reform I-35 at
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
near
Forest Lake.
I-35W carries its own set of exit numbers in the Twin Cities area, while I-35E continues the I-35 exit numbering scheme, which goes between the
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
state line and the city of
Duluth
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
. (The same setup also applies to the other I-35E/I-35W splits in
Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas.)
Legally, the route of I-35W is defined as part of unmarked
Legislative Route
In the United States, a legislative route (LR) or legislative highway is a highway defined by laws passed in a state legislature. The numbering of such highways may or may not correspond to the numbers familiar to the public as part of the state, ...
394 in the Minnesota Statutes § 161.12(2); I-35W is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway.
History
Flooding
I-35W is prone to heavy-rain event flooding in several areas, intersecting both natural habitats, including the
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in eastern and central Minnesota. Located just south of the city of Minneapolis, it is one of fourteen Regional Priority Urban Wildlife Refuges in the nation. Many par ...
between
Burnsville and
Bloomington, and the dense urban areas through the city of Minneapolis. In the great 1965 Minnesota River flood, the highway was underwater in the floodplain wetlands south of the Minnesota River bridge at Burnsville.
Dikes
Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to:
General uses
* Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian"
* Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment
* Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice
* Dikes ...
have been constructed, and the highway has been raised since then. The storm sewer system under I-35W in the urban core of south Minneapolis has also been cited as a place prone to flashfloods during rain events. Improvements continue to be made to this area as part of future projects.
Minnesota River crossing
When the Minnesota River bridge between Burnsville and Bloomington was completed in 1960, it was two lanes in each direction. I-35W, at the time, only extended as far south as
MN 13 in Burnsville. Improvements were made in 1984 to redeck and widen the bridge, but subsoil problems found at the north end resulted in the new lanes being temporarily closed. In 1989, the lanes were opened as
high-occupancy vehicle lanes when the
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) expanded the north approach to carry the additional traffic.
Mississippi River crossing
On August 1, 2007, the
I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
around 6:05 pm
CDT, killing 13 people and injuring 145.
The metal arch bridge had a length of approximately and a roadway height of over above the river. The bridge connected Minneapolis southwest of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
to the
Northeast Minneapolis
Northeast is a defined community in the U.S. city of Minneapolis that is composed of 13 smaller neighborhoods whose street addresses end in "NE". Unofficially it also includes the neighborhoods of the University community which have "NE" addre ...
neighborhood and served residents in the northern suburbs of the
metro area. Because of the collapse of the bridge, I-35W traffic was temporarily detoured through eastbound
I-94 to northbound
MN 280 where it meets up with I-35W in
Roseville.
The replacement
I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge
The I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge crosses the Mississippi River one-half mile (875 m) downstream from the Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the U.S., carrying north–south traffic on Interstate Highway 35W. The ten-lane br ...
was built in less than a year and opened to traffic on September 18, 2008, at 5:00 am CDT, three months ahead of schedule.
I-35W and Highway 62 Crosstown Commons reconstruction project
The ''Crosstown Commons'' is one of the most congested traffic
interchanges
Interchange may refer to:
Transport
* Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways
* Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies
* Interchange station, a rai ...
in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. While it is sometimes referred to as an intersection, it is a merger or
concurrency of I-35W and
MN 62. The layout is not a typical intersection: there is only a single level of roadbed and it creates a dogleg in I-35W. This shared
right-of-way
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
intersection for I-35W and MN 62 has been a topic of political debate for many years. There are only six lanes on the commons, and all drivers merging from one highway to the other are required to change at least one lane as they merge and then diverge again. The name comes from the fact that MN 62 is also known locally as the ''Crosstown Highway''.
The project to improve the interchange began in May 2007 after bids were received in April 2007. The new interchange features three throughlanes for I-35W in both directions, ending at 42nd Street, and two separate throughlanes for MN 62 in each direction, eliminating the need to weave across traffic. The cost of correcting the deficiencies in that short stretch of highway was estimated to be $285 million (equivalent to $ in ).
In 2004, the City of Minneapolis threatened to withhold municipal consent for the project unless new bus lanes and bus stations were included. Lake Street currently has a bus station at grade with I-35W on both sides. Eventually, the project was altered to include the desired additional bus access. The bid was won by the Ames, Lunda, and Schafer consortium for the 2007 cost of $288 million (equivalent to $ in ). The project included 25 new bridges, of highway, and expanded the total roadway width from six lanes to 12 lanes at Lyndale Avenue. The bridges were cast in
Coates and trucked in for onsite erection. The new design includes transit/
HOV lanes
A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as an HOV lane, carpool lane, diamond lane, 2+ lane, and transit lane or T2 or T3 lanes) is a restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers, i ...
and was completed in November 2010.
35W@94: Downtown to Crosstown
The 35W@94 Downtown to Crosstown Project was a construction project to repave and reconfigure I-35W and
I-94. The work took place from 15th Street to 43rd Street on I-35W, and I-94 from Portland Avenue to 3rd Avenue in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
. The project added a southbound entrance at County Road 3 (
Lake Street), added a northbound exit to 28th Street, reconstructing and widening frontage roads to accommodate new ramps.
HOV lanes
A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as an HOV lane, carpool lane, diamond lane, 2+ lane, and transit lane or T2 or T3 lanes) is a restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers, i ...
using
E-ZPass replaced the dynamic shoulder lanes in the center of the freeway. Retaining walls, noise barriers, and bridges being replaced throughout the entirety of the project. The METRO Orange Line uses a new station at Lake Street, and a bus-only transit ramp on 12th Street connecting I-35W to downtown. The entire project was completed in September 2021.
Future
The proposed METRO
Orange Line bus rapid transitway will run from the southern suburb of
Lakeville to downtown Minneapolis on I-35W, passing through
Burnsville,
Bloomington, and
Richfield.
It will use HOV lanes and a transit ramp into downtown Minneapolis.
Exit list
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:35W
W (Minnesota)
Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highways in Minnesota
Interstate 35W
Interstate 35W
Interstate 35W
Interstate 35W
Interstate 35W
High-occupancy toll roads