Minnesota State Highway 15 (MN 15) is a
highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...
in south-central and central
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 ...
, which runs from
Iowa Highway 15
Iowa Highway 15 (Iowa 15) is a north–south state highway in northern Iowa. It is long. The southern end of Iowa 15 is east of Pocahontas at an intersection with Iowa Highway 3. The northern end is at the Minnesota border, where the highway ...
at 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 the ...
state line and continues north to its northern terminus at its
interchange with
U.S. Highway 10
U.S. Route 10 or U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) is an east–west United States highway located in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Unlike most U.S. routes with "0" as the last digit of its route number, US 10 ...
outside of
Sartell and
Sauk Rapids, north of
St. Cloud.
Route description
MN 15 serves as a north–south highway between
Fairmont,
Madelia,
New Ulm,
Hutchinson, and
St. Cloud in south-central and central Minnesota.
MN 15 parallels
MN 4 throughout its route in south-central and central Minnesota.
Flandrau State Park
Flandrau State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, on the Cottonwood River adjacent to the city of New Ulm. Initially called Cottonwood River State Park, it was renamed in 1945 to honor Charles Eugene Flandrau, a leading citiz ...
is located near MN 15 in
Brown County on the
Cottonwood River. The park is located just south of
New Ulm.
MN 15 is a four-lane highway on the west side of St. Cloud from
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...
(I-94) to
U.S. Highway 10
U.S. Route 10 or U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) is an east–west United States highway located in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Unlike most U.S. routes with "0" as the last digit of its route number, US 10 ...
(US 10). MN 15 crosses the
Bridge of Hope
The Bridge of Hope is a concrete girder bridge that spans the Mississippi River between Sartell, Minnesota and Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. The bridge was completed eight months early, aided by favorable weather and trouble-free construction. It was ...
at 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 ...
between
Sartell and
Sauk Rapids.
History
MN 15 was authorized in 1920, 1933, and 1950.
The section of MN 15 between
New Ulm and 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 the ...
state line was originally Minnesota
Constitutional Route
In the U.S. state of Minnesota, a legislative route is a highway number defined by the Minnesota State Legislature. The routes from 1 to 70 are constitutional routes, defined as part of the Babcock Amendment to the Minnesota State Constitution, p ...
15, dating back to 1920.
The section of MN 15 between
St. Cloud and
Kimball was originally part of Constitutional Route 24.
The middle section of MN 15 was authorized in 1933, the northernmost section in 1950. This northerly section was originally part of old
MN 152 and was routed through downtown St. Cloud. Now, it bypasses central St. Cloud to the west side of town.
By 1940, only two short gravel sections of MN 15 remained, both paved by 1953.
In the 1970s, MN 15 through the St. Cloud area was planned to be constructed as a
freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
, providing a high-speed connection between I-94 and US 10. However, funding fell short of completing the freeway beyond
Minnesota State Highway 23, MN 23 and County Road 75 (CR 75, 2nd Street South). As a result, it was eventually decided that right-of-way needed to build interchanges would be sold off so the remaining segment of MN 15 across 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 ...
, connecting to US 10, could be built. Therefore, from 2nd Street South to US 10, the highway is currently built as an
expressway
Expressway may refer to:
* Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic.
* Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road.
*Expressway, the fictional s ...
with signalized intersections.
As of now, MN 15 is able to serve traffic, with stretches posted at a speed limit. However, continuing increases in traffic in the St. Cloud area will require the highway to be eventually converted to a freeway in the long term (post 2030).
Major intersections
References
{{reflist
015
Transportation in Benton County, Minnesota
Transportation in Brown County, Minnesota
Transportation in Martin County, Minnesota
Transportation in Meeker County, Minnesota
Transportation in McLeod County, Minnesota
Transportation in Nicollet County, Minnesota
Transportation in Sibley County, Minnesota
Transportation in Stearns County, Minnesota
Transportation in Watonwan County, Minnesota
New Ulm, Minnesota