Minnesota Notes

[froggie]

To my surprise, the County 9 exit on U.S. 52 is labled Exit 89. Maybe MN/Dot will phase out the unnumbered exits on 52 sooner than I expected.

Not really surprised.  We saw it with ROC52 that MnDOT is opening up to exit numbers on the non-Interstates...at least along 52.

What's surprising is that they gave CSAH 9 an exit number with the ramps as tight as they were designed...unless they got built to something other than the design spec I saw.

Regarding Wabasha bridge:  the old bridge was gone by 1991 (my first time in Wabasha).  All that was left was the approach.

[Molandfreak]

On a side note I've always wondered why US 63 wasn't rerouted over MN 58 from Zumbrota to Red Wing?  Once US 52 went to 4 lanes it would seem to make more sense and now it has an even stranger routing through Rochester.  Red Wing doesn't really need two US highways either.

Do you mean Lake City? Or are you suggesting truncating it to Rochester ? 63 serves a bunch of county seats in Wisconsin, as well as a bunch of tourist hubs like Hayward and the Ashland area.

[Molandfreak]

Not really surprised.  We saw it with ROC52 that MnDOT is opening up to exit numbers on the non-Interstates...at least along 52.

That isn't the point, though. The point is all the other exits in the area are unnumbered, so it doesn't make sense to number this one. Especially when the new Cannon Falls interchange has no exit number, either.

What's surprising is that they gave CSAH 9 an exit number with the ramps as tight as they were designed...unless they got built to something other than the design spec I saw.

It's about as much of an exit as this is. Same 20mph advisory, too. The only difference is that the acceleration lane is longer and doesn't connect to another exit.

[DandyDan]

On a side note I've always wondered why US 63 wasn't rerouted over MN 58 from Zumbrota to Red Wing?  Once US 52 went to 4 lanes it would seem to make more sense and now it has an even stranger routing through Rochester.  Red Wing doesn't really need two US highways either.

The original, and unofficial, US 59 went from Lake City to the Iowa border through Rochester in 1934 and got taken over by US 63 the next year.  I do have to admit the idea of US 63 taking over MN 58 seems like a good idea, although it creates the concept of US 61 and US 63 not intersecting, since US 63 loops around to cross over the Mississippi River.

[NE2]

it creates the concept of US 61 and US 63 not intersecting, since US 63 loops around to cross over the Mississippi River.

Whoa, two routes not intersecting except by a connector road. That never happens.

[texaskdog]

On a side note I've always wondered why US 63 wasn't rerouted over MN 58 from Zumbrota to Red Wing?  Once US 52 went to 4 lanes it would seem to make more sense and now it has an even stranger routing through Rochester.  Red Wing doesn't really need two US highways either.

Do you mean Lake City? Or are you suggesting truncating it to Rochester ? 63 serves a bunch of county seats in Wisconsin, as well as a bunch of tourist hubs like Hayward and the Ashland area.

okay when 63 enters Minnesota I have it going straight south from Red Wing to Zumbrota.

[texaskdog]

On a side note I've always wondered why US 63 wasn't rerouted over MN 58 from Zumbrota to Red Wing?  Once US 52 went to 4 lanes it would seem to make more sense and now it has an even stranger routing through Rochester.  Red Wing doesn't really need two US highways either.

The original, and unofficial, US 59 went from Lake City to the Iowa border through Rochester in 1934 and got taken over by US 63 the next year.  I do have to admit the idea of US 63 taking over MN 58 seems like a good idea, although it creates the concept of US 61 and US 63 not intersecting, since US 63 loops around to cross over the Mississippi River.

Using your logic, Interstates never touch each other

[Molandfreak]

On a side note I've always wondered why US 63 wasn't rerouted over MN 58 from Zumbrota to Red Wing?  Once US 52 went to 4 lanes it would seem to make more sense and now it has an even stranger routing through Rochester.  Red Wing doesn't really need two US highways either.

Do you mean Lake City? Or are you suggesting truncating it to Rochester ? 63 serves a bunch of county seats in Wisconsin, as well as a bunch of tourist hubs like Hayward and the Ashland area.

okay when 63 enters Minnesota I have it going straight south from Red Wing to Zumbrota.

I was actually confused by the "Red Wing doesn't need two US highways either" part of your post.

[The High Plains Traveler]

On a side note I've always wondered why US 63 wasn't rerouted over MN 58 from Zumbrota to Red Wing?  Once US 52 went to 4 lanes it would seem to make more sense and now it has an even stranger routing through Rochester.  Red Wing doesn't really need two US highways either.

The original, and unofficial, US 59 went from Lake City to the Iowa border through Rochester in 1934 and got taken over by US 63 the next year.  I do have to admit the idea of US 63 taking over MN 58 seems like a good idea, although it creates the concept of US 61 and US 63 not intersecting, since US 63 loops around to cross over the Mississippi River.

Even if U.S. 63 were rerouted, its current alignment would have to remain a state highway since it's Constitutional Route 59 - which may have originally resulted in the brief U.S. 59 designation.

[Mdcastle]

Things will change dramatically on the Red Wing approach- you'd have a short opposite direction multiplex of north 63 and south 61
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d6/projects/redwing-bridge/pdfs/minnesota-approach.pdf

[texaskdog]

On a side note I've always wondered why US 63 wasn't rerouted over MN 58 from Zumbrota to Red Wing?  Once US 52 went to 4 lanes it would seem to make more sense and now it has an even stranger routing through Rochester.  Red Wing doesn't really need two US highways either.

Do you mean Lake City? Or are you suggesting truncating it to Rochester ? 63 serves a bunch of county seats in Wisconsin, as well as a bunch of tourist hubs like Hayward and the Ashland area.

okay when 63 enters Minnesota I have it going straight south from Red Wing to Zumbrota.

I was actually confused by the "Red Wing doesn't need two US highways either" part of your post.

Oh, I meant Lake City

[texaskdog]

It's a full 15 minutes longer to follow 63 through lake City than to take MN 58 through Zumbrota

[bugo]

When did they reroute US 63 onto 75th Street NW? Does anybody have pictures of the US 14-52-63 triplex signs?

[Mdcastle]

My observation from last summer is there aren't any.

[froggie]

The reroute officially happened in mid-2013.  Sign replacement was supposed to happen last summer, though it's possible Monte rolled through too early.

[Milepost61]

I remember crossing the old Wabasha bridge the day I crossed this (1983?).  The Wabasha bridge must be long gone.  http://www.dajensen-family.com/roads/mn60bridge.html

Yeah the Wabasha bridge was replaced in the late-80s. The crazy 90-degrees bends the old bridge had were in addition to its narrowness, so much so there were "TRUCKS MUST NOT MEET ON BRIDGE" signs entering it.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

When did they reroute US 63 onto 75th Street NW? Does anybody have pictures of the US 14-52-63 triplex signs?

The reroute officially happened in mid-2013.  Sign replacement was supposed to happen last summer, though it's possible Monte rolled through too early.

As of October 2014 the US 63 reassurance shields has been posted on mainline 52.

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.055019,-92.494797,3a,75y,163.38h,85.15t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sYaQ3lLcGAt_oLAJPYEGUhQ!2e0

And here's a triplex shield posted at the 2nd St SW interchange.

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.022243,-92.488178,3a,75y,178.37h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sBG-XloEoz55yf9KGyUbhww!2e0

[froggie]

The WHY has more to do with the city of Rochester than with MnDOT wanting to "shave some miles".  There are design changes that the city wants to do to Broadway in/near downtown that would have been near-impossible with MnDOT retaining jurisdiction, thanks to design standards being codified into state law instead of being flexible.

[SSOWorld]

and yet the city itself has no regard for 63 whatsoever on its local streets...

[froggie]

What do you mean?

[The High Plains Traveler]

My observation from last summer is there aren't any.

Pretty sure we saw U.S. 63 posted on U.S. 52 NB in mid-June when we drove through there.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Does the "ramp" connecting MN 23 and US 14 in Lyon County have an 800-series number, and if so what is it?

[froggie]

No.  800-series numbers are for roadway centerlines.  MnDOT considers that an actual ramp.

[froggie]

Oh, MnDOT...you had one job...

signage fail

[NE2]

Oh, MnDOT...you had one job...

signage fail

And fixed within the month, based on the view from the other direction.