Interstate 694 (I-694) is an east–west

auxiliary Interstate Highway Auxiliary Interstate Highways (also called three-digit Interstate Highways) are a supplemental subset of the freeways within the Interstate Highway System of the United States. Auxiliary routes are generally classified as spur routes, which con ...

located in the

Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is commonly known as the Twin Cities ...

metropolitan area 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 ...

. The western terminus of the route is at its junction with I-94,

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- ...

, and US Highway 52 (US 52) in Maple Grove. The eastern terminus of I-694 is at its junction with I-94 and I-494 at the

Woodbury Woodbury may refer to: Geography Antarctica *Woodbury Glacier, a glacier on Graham Land, British Antarctic Territory Australia * Woodbury, Tasmania, a locality in Australia England * Woodbury, Bournemouth, an area in Dorset *Woodbury, East Devo ...

– Oakdale city line. I-694 comprises the northern and northeastern portions of a

beltway A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...

around the Twin Cities, with I-494 forming the remainder of the beltway. The speed limit is . Interstate Highways outside of the loop in Minnesota may be signed as high as but can only reach inside the loop. I-694 also interchanges with

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 ...

at New Brighton–

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 ...

and

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) {{road disambiguation Lis ...

at Little Canada– Vadnais Heights. I-694 is also

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with I-94/US 52 for from Maple Grove to

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 Township. I ...

. I-694 is in length.

Route description

I-694 begins on the

counterclockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite ...

end at the junction of I-94, I-494, US 52, and I-694 in the city of Maple Grove, often referred to as the Fish Lake Interchange. From the Fish Lake Interchange, I-694 travels eastbound (

clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite ...

) and concurrently with I-94 and US 52 through the cities of Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, and Brooklyn Center. In Brooklyn Center, I-94/US 52 splits from I-694 and then I-94/US 52 travels south toward 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 ...

, while I-694 continues its beltway function, crossing 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 f ...

on the

I-694 Bridge The I-694 Bridge is a pair of girder bridges that spans the Mississippi River between the cities of Brooklyn Center and Fridley in Minnesota. The westbound bridge was built in 1963 by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and widened in 1 ...

. The route then passes through the communities of

Fridley Fridley is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 29,590 at the 2020 census. Fridley was incorporated in 1949 as a village, and became a city in 1957. It is part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area as ...

and New Brighton, where it has an interchange with I-35W. I-694 turns slightly to the southeast as it passes through the communities of

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 ...

, and Little Canada. I-694 turns back to near due east at its western junction with

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) {{road disambiguation Lis ...

. It continues east through the communities of Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, and Maplewood. In Pine Springs, I-694 has a cloverleaf interchange with

Minnesota State Highway 36 Minnesota State Highway 36 (MN 36) is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate 35W in Roseville and continues east to its eastern terminus at the Wisconsin state line (near Stillwater), where it becomes Wi ...

(MN 36). The I-694/MN 36 interchange makes out a rough corner, in which I-694 switches direction from eastbound to southbound. I-694 continues south through the city of Oakdale and finally terminates on the clockwise end at the interchange of I-94, I-494, and I-694 at the Oakdale–Woodbury city boundary line. I-694 becomes I-494 after this interchange. Interstate 694 Fridley MN 2017

Milepost A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

s on I-694 are numbered to increase while traveling eastbound (clockwise). They are in sequence with the numbering of adjoining I-494, where the numbering begins and ends at the

Minnesota River The Minnesota River ( dak, Mnísota Wakpá) is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa. It ris ...

. Between Maple Grove and Brooklyn Center, the mileposts correspond to the beltway numbering, not I-94 mileage. Legally, the route of I-694 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, ...

393 in the Minnesota Statutes §161.12(5). I-694 is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway. The entire freeway, as part of the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

, has been included in the National Highway System, a system of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.

History

The original beltway around the Twin Cities was MN 100. The portion of I-694 running east from the current MN 100 in Brooklyn Center through New Brighton and MN 100 was part of that original beltway. There was a two-lane bridge across the Mississippi river where the current I-694 bridge is today. That bridge was constructed as part of a defense initiative authorized in 1942 at the beginning of US involvement

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The construction of I-694 to

Interstate 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 to ...

was authorized in 1956. The first section of I-694 completed was between US 10 at

to I-35E at Little Canada in the early 1960s. The last section of I-694 completed was between I-35E at Little Canada to its junction with I-94 and I-494 at Oakdale–

, completed by the early 1970s. I-694 was built as the main thoroughfare for the northern suburbs of

. These include the cities of Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Fridley, New Brighton, Arden Hills,

, Little Canada, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, Maplewood, Pine Springs, and Oakdale. The original design of I-694 had problems with "weave" interchanges. The Unweave the Weave construction project, completed between 2004 and 2008, disentangled I-694 and I-35E at Little Canada–Vadnais Heights. The project was designed to increase traffic flow, driver safety, and improve the condition of the roadway. Another construction project, the I-35W/US 10/I-694 North Central Corridor Reconstruction Project, also designed to reduce unnecessary traffic crossovers on the highway, began in September 2011. This project eliminated the weaving movements of I-694 at its interchange with US 10 and MN 51 in Arden Hills. This interchange often created one of the worst bottlenecks in the Twin Cities because drivers need to change at least one lane to continue either direction on I-694 between MN 51 (Snelling Avenue) and US 10. When the construction project was completed, the roadway of I-694 included two through lanes in each direction from I-35W at New Brighton to US 10 at Arden Hills, three through lanes in each direction from US 10 in Arden Hills to Rice Street at Shoreview–Little Canada, and five through lanes in each direction from Rice Street to the I-694/I-35E interchange, compared with the current two to three lanes throughout the I-694 corridor.

Exit list

References

External links

I-694 at The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:94-6 Interstate Highways in Minnesota Auxiliary Interstate Highways Interstate 94 Interstate 94-6 Interstate 94-6 Interstate 94-6 Interstate 94-6

694 __NOTOC__ Year 694 ( DCXCIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 694 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar ...