U.S. Route 169 in Minnesota

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

U.S. Highway 169

South end:

U.S. 169 in Elmore, MN
at the Minnesota - Iowa state line

Major
junctions:

I-90 in Blue Earth

MN 30 in Amboy

MN 60 , U.S. 14 in Mankato

MN 19 east of Henderson

I-494 , MN 5 in Bloomington

I-94 , I-694 in Brooklyn Park

U.S. 10 , MN 47 in Anoka

U.S. 10 , MN 101 in Elk River

MN 95 in Princeton

MN 23 in Milaca

MN 210 in Aitkin

U.S. 2 in Grand Rapids

MN 37 , MN 73 in Hibbing

North end:

U.S. 53 , MN 169 near Virginia, MN

Minnesota State Highways
< TH 156		TH 169 >
United States Numbered Highways
List - Bannered - Divided - Replaced

U.S. Route 169 is a major north-south route in the U.S. state of Minnesota, connecting the Minnesota River valley with the Twin Cities and the Iron Range. Much of the route is built to expressway or freeway standards.

[edit] Route description

U.S. 169 enters Minnesota at Elmore as a two-lane, undivided highway. It continues as such through Blue Earth where it crosses Interstate Highway 90. At its junction with Minnesota Highway 60, 169 joins that road's expressway.

In Mankato and North Mankato, 169 functions as an arterial highway, passing directly through the cities' downtown area. From Mankato north to Shakopee, the road remains an expressway, except for the section passing through Saint Peter, where 169 is the main street through town.

55 miles of U.S. 169 from Saint Peter to I-494 in Bloomington is officially designated the John A. Johnson Memorial Highway. This includes the Bloomington Ferry Bridge between Shakopee and Bloomington. This designation is marked as "Johnson Memorial Drive" on some maps, but not marked as such on directional signs, nor commonly known by this name.

In the Minneapolis area, the route is constructed to freeway standards between Interstate Highway 494 and Hennepin County Road 81. Construction to link the freeway north of I-494 with the freeway segment a few miles south of I-494 is underway. The freeway between Interstate 494 and Interstate 694 was originally built by Hennepin County as County Road 18. In 1988, County Road 18 was transferred to the state of Minnesota and became the new alignment for Highway 169 in the Minneapolis area. In exchange, Hennepin County took over maintenance of two other highways that were formerly state routes.

Also in the Minneapolis area, U.S. 169 is often very congested. However, since the freeway passes very close to residential neighborhoods in many locations, any expansion of the freeway would disrupt housing stock in the surrounding area.

North of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, U.S. 169 continues as an expressway to Mille Lacs Lake, an important resort area. The highway skirts the western shore of the lake. 74 miles of U.S. 169 from Elk River to Garrison is officially designated the POW / MIA Memorial Highway. From Mille Lacs Lake, U.S. 169 continues northward to its junction with U.S. 2 at Grand Rapids. Here, 169 turns northeasterly to reach the cities of the Mesabi Iron Range.

At Pengilly, U.S. 169 becomes an expressway and remains such for the rest of its run. It passes through the cities of Hibbing, Chisholm, and Mountain Iron before reaching U.S. 53 at the city of Virginia. This four-lane stretch of 169 is also known as the Highway 169 Cross Range Expressway.

U.S. 169 is one of three Minnesota U.S. marked highways to carry the same number as an existing state marked highway within the state. The others being Highways 61 and 65.

The Minnesota section of US 169 is defined as all or part of Routes 5, 7, 383, 3, 18, and 35 in Minnesota Statutes §§ 161.114(2) and 161.117(4).[1],[2]

[edit] Exit list for freeway section in Twin Cities

Destinations	Notes
Image:Scott County Route 15.svg CR 15 (Marystown Road)
Image:Scott County Route 17.svg CR 17 (Marschall Road)
Image:Scott County Route 83.svg CR 83 (Canterbury Road)
Image:Scott County Route 18.svg CR 18
To TH 13 – Burnsville, Savage
Image:Scott County Route 101.svg CR 101 – Shakopee	Southbound exit and northbound entrance}}
CR 1 east (Old Shakopee Road) / Riverview Road	South end of CR 1 overlap
CR 1 west (Pioneer Trail)	North end of CR 1 overlap
Bloomington Ferry Road, Anderson Lakes Parkway	Intersection
Highwood Drive, Townline Avenue	Intersection
I-494 / TH 5 / Frontage Road	Intersections
Valley View Road
US 212 west / TH 62
Londonderry Road, Bren Road
Lincoln Drive, 5th Street South
CR 3 – Downtown Hopkins
TH 7 – Minneapolis, Excelsior
36th Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
CR 5 (Minnetonka Boulevard) to US 169 south
Cedar Lake Road
Frontage Road	Northbound exit and entrance
16th Street
I-394 – Minneapolis
Betty Crocker Drive, Shelard Parkway
TH 55 – Minneapolis, Buffalo
13th Avenue, Plymouth Avenue
CR 70 (Medicine Lake Road)
36th Avenue North
CR 9 (Rockford Road)
49th Avenue North
CR 10 (Bass Lake Road)
63rd Avenue North
I-94 / I-694
CR 130 (77th Avenue North, Brooklyn Boulevard)
CR 81	Intersection