Interstate 94 (I-94) 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 t ...

runs east–west through the central portion of the state. The highway connects the cities of Moorhead, Fergus Falls,

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

, St. Cloud,

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 origin ...

, 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; ...

. Authorized in 1956, it was mostly constructed in the 1960s.

Route description

I-94 enters the state from

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...

at the city of Moorhead and heads southeast after serving Moorhead. Traveling southeast from Moorhead, there are several places where the elevation of I-94 rises slightly; these are "beaches" that formed as the glacial lake rose or fell. Finally, at Rothsay, I-94 climbs the last beach line and enters terrain more typical for Minnesota. From Rothsay to 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 ...

, the terrain of I-94 is rolling with frequent lakes visible from the highway. I-94 traverses by Fergus Falls,

, and Sauk Centre on its way to St. Cloud. The "original main street" in Sauk Centre near I-94 commemorates the

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American writer and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States (and the first from the Americas) to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was ...

novel that skewered this town.

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

is roughly the midpoint

exurb An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing density, and growth. It sh ...

for both St. Cloud and Minneapolis. Between exits 201 (Albertville) and 194 (Monticello) sits the

Minnesota Road Research Facility The Minnesota Road Research Facility (also known as MnROAD, pronounced ''Min-road''), is an outdoor research laboratory operated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) that specializes in testing different types of pavement. Said ...

. Upon arrival to the Twin Cities, I-94 first approaches

from the north, then the highway turns east after passing through the

Lowry Hill Tunnel The Lowry Hill Tunnel is a tunnel in length accommodating the Interstate 94 (I-94) freeway near downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota that was completed in late 1971. It is placed at a near-right-angle turn in the highway, forcing the three la ...

and heads to

while traveling east. The road crosses the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

in Minneapolis between the Prospect Park and Seward neighborhoods. The highway joins

and

together where it meets Minnesota State Highway 280 (MN 280). In Saint Paul, the routing of I-94 is set through the historic Rondo Neighborhood, which, prior to the highway's construction, was the largest Black community in Saint Paul. Upon leaving Saint Paul, the route travels through suburban Washington County and exits the state into

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

between

Lakeland, Minnesota Lakeland is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,796 at the 2010 census. History Lakeland was platted in 1849. The 1849 Captain John Oliver House, 1850 Mitchell Jackson Farmhouse, and 1858 John T. Cyp ...

, and

Hudson, Wisconsin Hudson is a city in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, its population was 12,719. It is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The village of North Hudson is direct ...

, while crossing the St. Croix River. Legally, the Minnesota section of I-94 is defined as unmarked Legislative Route 392 in the Minnesota Statutes § 161.12(4). I-94 is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway.

History

I-94 in Minnesota was authorized as part of the original Interstate System in 1956. It was mostly constructed in the 1960s. I-94 follows the original route of old US Highway 52 (US 52) from Moorhead to St. Cloud, then I-94 stays south of the Mississippi River along the former route of old MN 152 between St. Cloud and the

. I-94 then passes through both downtowns and exits toward

along the former route of old US 12. The first section of I-94 in Minnesota constructed was between Moorhead and Albany in the early 1960s, as an extension of the existing highway in North Dakota. The section of I-94 between

and

was completed in 1968 and dedicated December 9. In the Twin Cities, the construction of the highway was politically charged. The highway was built primarily through many working-class and Black neighborhoods. In Saint Paul, the routing of I-94 displaced the historic Rondo Neighborhood, which, prior to the highway's construction, was the largest Black community in Saint Paul. The section of I-94 between Maple Grove and Brooklyn Center was completed in 1969. The section of I-94 between St. Augusta and Maple Grove was completed in 1973. The section of I-94 between Albany and St. Augusta was completed in 1977. The section of I-94 from Brooklyn Center through north Minneapolis was completed in 1984. Like the Rondo Neighborhood in the 1960s, this segment was through a primarily Black and working-class neighborhood. The last section of I-94 in Minnesota constructed was the between its junction with I-494/ I-694 at Woodbury and the Wisconsin state line at Lakeland. This was completed in 1985. In 2004, a major traffic bottleneck was relieved when a third lane was constructed between Brooklyn Boulevard at Brooklyn Center and Hemlock Lane at Maple Grove. This is located immediately east of the I-494/I-694/I-94 interchange in Maple Grove, also known locally as the Fish Lake Interchange. From September 2007 to October 2008, the

Minnesota Department of Transportation The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT, ) oversees transportation by all modes including land, water, air, rail, walking and bicycling in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state ...

(MnDOT) added a temporary extra lane to I-94 between northbound

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 River ...

and MN 280 in the Twin Cities to help relieve traffic congestion caused by the collapse of the

I-35W Mississippi River bridge The I-35W Mississippi River bridge (officially known as Bridge 9340) was an eight-lane, steel truss arch bridge that carried Interstate 35W across the Mississippi River one-half mile (875 m) downstream from the Saint Anthony Falls in Minne ...

. As a result, this portion of I-94 was not up to

Interstate Highway 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 ...

during this time period.

Rethinking I-94

In 2016, MnDOT launched a project known as Rethinking I-94, which is aimed at reconnecting neighborhoods, revitalizing communities, and ensuring that residents have a voice in transportation decisions. The construction of I-94 between Minneapolis and Saint Paul was seen as controversial and has been a political debate for many years. MnDOT is planning to reconnect those neighborhoods that were destroyed and separated in 1960.

Exit list

Auxiliary routes

* I-394, direct link between Minneapolis and western suburbs * I-494, southern/western portion of beltway loop * I-694, northern/eastern portion of beltway loop

References

External links