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Regional Boards => Great Lakes and Ohio Valley => Topic started by: The High Plains Traveler on September 07, 2015, 04:32:34 PM

Title: 2015-16 Minnesota Map
Post by: The High Plains Traveler on September 07, 2015, 04:32:34 PM
It took until August, but MnDOT finally put the 2015-16 official highway map up on their website. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/maps/index.html In format, it's similar to the previous version. I haven't gone through to compare road for road, but what I found interesting were the statuses of two roads in the Twin Cities area. I compared this to the 2014 Highway System map - which shows only state highways - accessible from the same page.

On the Twin Cities metro area map, MN-5 between MN-120 and MN-36 in Washington County was announced as having been turned back to the county this year. The map shows it, however. The highway system map shows that section of MN-5 as having been eliminated.

MN-101 in Carver County is shown on the official map as being completely turned back south of MN-5. The highway system map still shows the orphan segment beginning south of U.S. 212 and ending at Carver County 61 (old 212). This still leaves the remaining part of the southern segment of 101, which runs for a couple of miles along the Carver-Hennepin County line north of MN-5.

MnDOT typically doesn't show segments under construction, so there is no indication of the last piece of MN-610 being built east of I-94 in northern Hennepin County.
Title: Re: 2015-16 Minnesota Map
Post by: Bickendan on October 07, 2015, 10:29:03 PM
Froggie, what's with the US 952A segments in the Twin Cities on the statewide map? They look to be old alignments of US 52, but their numbering on the map is a bit odd, even if it's an internal, unsigned designation.
Title: Re: 2015-16 Minnesota Map
Post by: TheHighwayMan3561 on October 08, 2015, 01:52:08 AM
Quote from: Bickendan on October 07, 2015, 10:29:03 PM
Froggie, what's with the US 952A segments in the Twin Cities on the statewide map? They look to be old alignments of US 52, but their numbering on the map is a bit odd, even if it's an internal, unsigned designation.

Yeah, them marking it on the map is odd. The 9xx designation indicates MNDot still maintains the road but intends to turn it back to Dakota County at some point. The street in question was the alignment of US 52 until the mid-1990s, I believe. Then US 52 swapped onto the Lafayette Freeway which MN 3 occupied at the time, and MN 3 was simultaneously slightly rerouted and truncated to MN 110.

You can also see "988A" northeast of Minneapolis, which was part of US 8's old route into Minneapolis before that was truncated to Forest Lake.
Title: Re: 2015-16 Minnesota Map
Post by: triplemultiplex on October 08, 2015, 03:33:35 AM
I find it very annoying that Minnesota doesn't mark non-interstate freeways as freeways on their official state highway map.
Title: Re: 2015-16 Minnesota Map
Post by: Brandon on October 08, 2015, 09:39:17 AM
Quote from: triplemultiplex on October 08, 2015, 03:33:35 AM
I find it very annoying that Minnesota doesn't mark non-interstate freeways as freeways on their official state highway map.

Much agreed, but that's a problem I have with a lot of states.  Freeways are freeways, regardless of the shield posted on it.
Title: Re: 2015-16 Minnesota Map
Post by: tman on October 10, 2015, 07:02:51 PM
Minnesota doesn't really have many/much US/State freeway outside of the twin cites metro, though. Mostly expressway
Title: Re: 2015-16 Minnesota Map
Post by: froggie on October 11, 2015, 07:50:30 AM
Not in the grand scheme of things, but you do have a number of freeway-grade bypasses outstate.  St. James, Willmar, Sauk Rapids, Bemidji, and Waseca-Owatonna to name a few.
Title: Re: 2015-16 Minnesota Map
Post by: Bickendan on October 16, 2015, 08:17:43 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on October 08, 2015, 01:52:08 AM
Quote from: Bickendan on October 07, 2015, 10:29:03 PM
Froggie, what's with the US 952A segments in the Twin Cities on the statewide map? They look to be old alignments of US 52, but their numbering on the map is a bit odd, even if it's an internal, unsigned designation.

Yeah, them marking it on the map is odd. The 9xx designation indicates MNDot still maintains the road but intends to turn it back to Dakota County at some point. The street in question was the alignment of US 52 until the mid-1990s, I believe. Then US 52 swapped onto the Lafayette Freeway which MN 3 occupied at the time, and MN 3 was simultaneously slightly rerouted and truncated to MN 110.

You can also see "988A" northeast of Minneapolis, which was part of US 8's old route into Minneapolis before that was truncated to Forest Lake.
Move over, US 730: US 952A and 988A want your spot as highest numbered US route!
Title: Re: 2015-16 Minnesota Map
Post by: rte66man on October 18, 2015, 09:26:30 PM
Quote from: froggie on October 11, 2015, 07:50:30 AM
Not in the grand scheme of things, but you do have a number of freeway-grade bypasses outstate.  St. James, Willmar, Sauk Rapids, Bemidji, and Waseca-Owatonna to name a few.

Princeton and Milaca on US169. Cambridge on MN65.
Title: Re: 2015-16 Minnesota Map
Post by: TheHighwayMan3561 on October 18, 2015, 10:23:33 PM
Quote from: rte66man on October 18, 2015, 09:26:30 PM
Quote from: froggie on October 11, 2015, 07:50:30 AM
Not in the grand scheme of things, but you do have a number of freeway-grade bypasses outstate.  St. James, Willmar, Sauk Rapids, Bemidji, and Waseca-Owatonna to name a few.

Princeton and Milaca on US169. Cambridge on MN65.

Not to be anal but I probably wouldn't count Milaca - while there's an interchange with MN 23, the business loop intersections are at-grade along with a couple other at-grades in that stretch.
Title: Re: 2015-16 Minnesota Map
Post by: midwesternroadguy on October 19, 2015, 06:53:07 PM
The two longest stretches of non-interstate limited-access freeway outside of the Twin Cities metro would be US 52 from Pine Island to I-90, and US 14 from west of Waseca to Owatonna, correct?

Driving US 52 regularly from the Cities to Rochester, it is getting much harder to pull out onto the highway from an intersection.  Traffic volumes have been increasing notably in the last seven years.  I support any projects that provide additonal access control for this corridor.  It really will need to be a full freeway in the somewhat near future.