U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is a

United States Numbered Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

in northwest and northeast

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 the Red River at East Grand Forks and continues east to

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, where the route crosses the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge over the Saint Louis Bay. The route connects the cities of East Grand Forks,

Bemidji Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, Minnesota, Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city ...

, Grand Rapids, and

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. Of the of US 2 in Minnesota, have four lanes, mostly located in the northwest part of the state.

Route description

US 2 enters the state from the west at the city of East Grand Forks, at the Red River. From the

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, So ...

state line to Crookston, US 2 is a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

built to expressway standards for . Upon entering Crookston, US 2 follows the city streets of North Main, North Broadway, and East Robert streets. Once US 2 leaves Crookston, it becomes a four-lane divided highway built to expressway standards for . This expressway portion of US 2 in northwest Minnesota passes through the cities of

Mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

Erskine Erskine (, sco, Erskin, gd, Arasgain) is a town in the council area of Renfrewshire, and historic county of the same name, situated in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the southern bank of the River Clyde, providing the l ...

, Fosston, Bagley, and the west of

. After the

Minnesota State Highway 197 Minnesota State Highway 197 (MN 197) is a highway in northwest Minnesota, which runs from its first interchange with U.S. Highways 2 and 71 on the southeast edge of Bemidji and continues north and then west to its second interchange with U ...

(MN 197) interchange, US 2 becomes a four-lane

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 ...

for as it bypasses Bemidji. US 71 joins the freeway after and runs concurrently with US 2 for . The freeway crosses 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 fl ...

after . The freeway ends at an at-grade junction with Animal Land Drive south of Bemidji. US 2 continues as a four-lane divided highway built to expressway standards for to Cass Lake. The portion of US 2 from Bemidji to Cass Lake is officially designated the Paul Bunyan Expressway. After Cass Lake, US 2 continues east as a two-lane roadway for to Deer River. East of Deer River, US 2 is a four-lane divided highway for until the city of Grand Rapids, where it has a junction with US 169. US 2 then heads southeasterly as a two-lane roadway for to the unincorporated area of

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

, where it has an interchange with MN 33. The route then continues east for to its intersection with MN 194 at Solway Township. US 2 then continues southeasterly for before entering the city of Proctor, where it is the main street through town. The route widens to a three-lane roadway as it approaches its intersection with Boundary Avenue ( County Road 14 R 14. The route enters the city limits of

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, where it has a junction with Interstate 35 (I-35), US 2 joins that route's freeway. US 2 runs concurrently with I-35 for in

West Duluth West Duluth refers to an official neighborhood district in the west–central part of Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Grand Avenue, Central Avenue, Cody Street, and Interstate Highway 35 are four of the main routes in West Duluth. Other main ...

, proceeding down Thompson Hill. US 2 then exits the I-35 freeway in West Duluth and crosses the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge over the Saint Louis Bay, entering the state of

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 ...

and the city of Superior. US 2 then follows Belknap Street in Superior. Legally, the Minnesota section of US 2 is defined as

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 ...

8 and

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, ...

106 in the

Minnesota Statutes Minnesota Statutes are a compilation of the official laws of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Minnesota Statutes comprise only of the general and permanent laws of the state. The Office of the Revisor of Statutes publishes a complete set of statutes ...

§§ 161.114(2) and 161.115(134). The route is not marked with those numbers.

History

US 2 in Minnesota was authorized on November 11, 1926. It followed the route of old state Trunk Highway 8 in its entirety. At the time it was marked, it was paved along a short concurrency with US 75 north of Crookston and from its junction with then-Trunk Highway 11 (present-day US 53) through

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. The remainder was graveled or graded, except for a section west of Bagley which was simply a maintained dirt surface. The route in Minnesota was completely paved in 1939. The last segment to be completed was between then-State Highway 94 (now MN 194) at Solway Township and the community of Adolph. A few short (four-lane)

segments of US 2 were constructed west of

during the 1960s. In the present day, from East Grand Forks to Cass Lake, this route is built to expressway standards and a posted speed limit. The highway from Bemidji to Cass Lake was designated the Paul Bunyan Expressway in 1991. That designation originally extended down MN 371 to Little Falls, but that section was repealed in 2005. From Cass Lake to Duluth, there are only a couple of short four-lane divided highway segments, but the nonurban portions of this segment are a posted speed limit.

Major intersections

References

External links

Highway 2 at the Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page
{{state detail page browse, type=US, route=2, state=Minnesota, statebefore=North Dakota, stateafter=Wisconsin 02 Minnesota Transportation in Polk County, Minnesota Transportation in St. Louis County, Minnesota Transportation in Aitkin County, Minnesota Transportation in Itasca County, Minnesota Transportation in Cass County, Minnesota Transportation in Beltrami County, Minnesota Transportation in Clearwater County, Minnesota Transportation in Hubbard County, Minnesota

002 002, 0O2, O02, OO2, or 002 may refer to: Fiction *002, fictional British 00 Agent *''002 Operazione Luna'', *1965 Italian film *Zero Two, a ''Darling in the Franxx'' character Airports *0O2, Baker Airport *O02, Nervino Airport Astronomy *1996 ...