The organized system of Minnesota State Highways (typically abbreviated as MN or TH, and called Trunk Highways), the state highway system for 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 ...

, was created in 1920 under the "Babcock Amendment" to the state

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

. No real pattern exists for the numbering of highways. Route commissioning beyond these routes was by legislative action, thus the term legislative route. This included additions and revisions that took place when US and

Interstate 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 ...

Highway Systems were commissioned. Minnesota state highway markers use Type D FHWA font for all route numbers and type C for three-digit route markers only if type D font cannot be used. All routes except interstates use or markers. Interstate markers for three-digit routes are wider shields, and respectively. Although

state highways do not follow a distinctive pattern in numbering, they are numbered to avoid conflicting with Interstate Highways and US Highways. Any instance of a state number that matches one is often a ''continuation'' of the particular route (e.g., U.S. Route 169 and Trunk Highway 169). The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) does not consider this a violation of the rule.

List of highways

Other state highways

Special routes There are also routes officially numbered in the 805 and 905, but they do not have signage. Examples include part of the Sibley Memorial Highway that was bypassed in Mendota in the mid 1995 (MN 913A, numbered for former designation MN 13), and Robert Street between I-494 and University Avenue in St. Paul and West St. Paul (MN 952, numbered for former designation US 52). Other roads under Minnesota jurisdiction include the MN 371 Business Route, which follows the former route of MN 371 through Brainerd. MN 23 also has a designated business route through the city of Willmar (as MN 23 is bypassed around the city), but unlike Business MN 371, Business MN 23 is under local jurisdiction.

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, ...

s defined in the

Minnesota Constitution The Constitution of the State of Minnesota was initially approved by the residents of Minnesota Territory in a special election held on October 13, 1857, and was ratified by the United States Senate on May 11, 1858, marking the admittance of Minne ...

were signed until 1934, when many were renumbered. Several routes, like US Highway 208, were planned in the 1934 renumbering but eliminated before the final plan.

References

External links

MnDOT Roadway Data
by Steve Riner
Twin Cities Highways
by Adam Froehlig {{US state highways, hide=yes

State highways A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...