U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is a United States Numbered Highway in North Dakota, which runs from the Montana state line east to the Red River at

Grand Forks Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

. The route connects the cities of Williston,

Minot Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Minot Air Force Base, Air Force base approximately north of ...

, and

. Of the of US 2 in North Dakota, all but the westernmost have four lanes.

Route description

US 2 is an east–west highway that runs through North Dakota’s northern tier of larger cities: Williston,

, Devils Lake, and

. These cities are about north of North Dakota’s southern tier of larger cities located on

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): Dickinson, Bismarck– Mandan, Jamestown, and

Fargo Fargo usually refers to: * Fargo, North Dakota, United States * ''Fargo'' (1996 film), a crime film by the Coen brothers * ''Fargo'' (TV series), an American black comedy–crime drama anthology television series Fargo may also refer to: Othe ...

–

West Fargo West Fargo is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. It is, as of the 2020 census, the fifth largest city in the state of North Dakota with a population of 38,626, and it is one of the state's fastest growing cities. West Fargo wa ...

. Each city (or pair) in each tier is separated by about . US 2 intersects with two north–south four-lane highways in North Dakota: US 83 at Minot and I-29 at Grand Forks. In addition, it junctions with four other U.S. Highways that, except for shorter stretches that are four-laned, are mostly two-lane highways in North Dakota: US 85 at Williston (which is in the process of being converted into an undivided four-lane south of Williston), US 52 at Minot, US 281 at Churchs Ferry (west of Devils Lake), and US 81 at Grand Forks. All six of these highways provide routes either to the border at Mexico or deep into the southern USA. Between Williston and Minot, US 2 provides several high points where one can view graceful and beautiful landscape for many miles in all directions. Between Minot and Grand Forks, US 2 provides an ever-changing mix of agricultural farm and pasture land, native wetlands, and small lakes set on a gently rolling landscape. US 2 also passes near a large lake named Devils Lake near the city with the same name. Throughout the state, the route generally travels east and west following the

Great Northern route The Great Northern route (formerly known as Great Northern Electrics) is the name given to suburban rail services run on the southern end of Britain's East Coast Main Line and its associated branches. Services operate to or from and in Lon ...

which is also used by the '' Empire Builder''. The US 2 route through North Dakota was originally named the Wonderland Trail or the Teddy Roosevelt Trail. In

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

, just east of the route's intersection with North Dakota Highway 3 (ND 3), the highway passes the location designated in 1931 as the geographical center of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. The monument marking the geographic center had to be relocated in 1971 when US 2 was converted from two lanes to four lanes.

History

North Dakota has been converting sections of US 2 from two lanes to four lanes for many years. The section from Grand Forks to Minot was completed in 1996. The section from Minot to Williston was completed in the summer of 2008 in a campaign that began a few years ago and was labeled "Across the State in Two Thousand Eight". Actually, US 2 is four-laned from North Dakota’s eastern edge to just past Williston, a stretch of about , leaving the remaining to the Montana border as a two-lane highway. North Dakota's governor has said that North Dakota will four-lane the remaining stretch if Montana is willing to continue the four-lane project from the border into their state.

Major intersections

References

External links

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links