Interstate 694

Interstate 694 (I-694) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway located in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in the US state of Minnesota. The western terminus of the route is at its junction with I-94, I-494, and US Highway 52 (US 52) in Maple Grove. The eastern terminus of I-694 is at its junction with I-94 and I-494 at the WoodburyOakdale city line. I-694 comprises the northern and northeastern portions of a beltway around the Twin Cities, with I-494 forming the remainder of the beltway. The speed limit is 60 mph (97 km/h). Interstate Highways outside of the loop in Minnesota may be signed as high as 70 mph (110 km/h) but can only reach 60 mph (97 km/h) inside the loop.

Interstate 694 marker

Interstate 694

I-694 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-94
Maintained by MnDOT
Length30.767 mi[1] (49.515 km)
Existed1970–present
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
West end I-94 / I-494 / US 52 in Maple Grove
Major intersections
South end I-94 / I-494 / US 12 at WoodburyOakdale
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountiesHennepin, Anoka, Ramsey, Washington
Highway system
  • Minnesota Trunk Highway System
MN 610 MN 1

I-694 also interchanges with I-35W at New BrightonArden Hills and I-35E at Little CanadaVadnais Heights. I-694 is also concurrent with I-94/US 52 for eight miles (13 km) from Maple Grove to Brooklyn Center. I-694 is 30.8 miles (49.6 km) in length.

Route description

Interchange of eastbound I-94, MN 252 and eastbound I-694 in Brooklyn Center

I-694 begins on the counterclockwise end at the junction of I-94, I-494, US 52, and I-694 in the city of Maple Grove, often referred to as the Fish Lake Interchange. From the Fish Lake Interchange, I-694 travels eastbound (clockwise) and concurrently with I-94 and US 52 through the cities of Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, and Brooklyn Center. In Brooklyn Center, I-94/US 52 splits from I-694 and then I-94/US 52 travels south toward downtown Minneapolis, while I-694 continues its beltway function, crossing the Mississippi River on the I-694 Bridge. The route then passes through the communities of Fridley and New Brighton, where it has an interchange with I-35W. I-694 turns slightly to the southeast as it passes through the communities of Arden Hills, Shoreview, and Little Canada. I-694 turns back to near due east at its western junction with I-35E. It continues east through the communities of Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, and Maplewood. In Pine Springs, I-694 has a cloverleaf interchange with Minnesota State Highway 36 (MN 36). The I-694/MN 36 interchange makes out a rough corner, in which I-694 switches direction from eastbound to southbound. I-694 continues south through the city of Oakdale and finally terminates on the clockwise end at the interchange of I-94, I-494, and I-694 at the Oakdale–Woodbury city boundary line. I-694 becomes I-494 after this interchange.[2]

I-694 looking West through Fridley

Mileposts on I-694 are numbered to increase while traveling eastbound (clockwise). They are in sequence with the numbering of adjoining I-494, where the numbering begins and ends at the Minnesota River. Between Maple Grove and Brooklyn Center, the mileposts correspond to the beltway numbering, not I-94 mileage.[2]

Legally, the route of I-694 is defined as part of unmarked legislative route 393 in the Minnesota Statutes §161.12(5).[3] I-694 is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway.[2] The entire freeway, as part of the Interstate Highway System, has been included in the National Highway System,[4] a system of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.[5]

History

The original beltway around the Twin Cities was MN 100. The portion of I-694 running east from the current MN 100 in Brooklyn Center through New Brighton and MN 100 was part of that original beltway. There was a two-lane bridge across the Mississippi river where the current I-694 bridge is today. That bridge was constructed as part of a defense initiative authorized in 1942 at the beginning of US involvement World War II.[6]

The construction of I-694 to Interstate standards was authorized in 1956. The first section of I-694 completed was between US 10 at Arden Hills to I-35E at Little Canada in the early 1960s. The last section of I-694 completed was between I-35E at Little Canada to its junction with I-94 and I-494 at OakdaleWoodbury, completed by the early 1970s.

I-694 was built as the main thoroughfare for the northern suburbs of Minneapolis–Saint Paul. These include the cities of Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Fridley, New Brighton, Arden Hills, Shoreview, Little Canada, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, Maplewood, Pine Springs, and Oakdale.

The original design of I-694 had problems with "weave" interchanges. The Unweave the Weave construction project, completed between 2004 and 2008, disentangled I-694 and I-35E at Little Canada–Vadnais Heights. The project was designed around several factors, a few of which included increasing freeway traffic capacity, increasing driver safety, and eliminating weaving and lane changes (eliminating "geometric deficiencies"), hence the name of the project, "Unweave the Weave". This weaving was the case for most drivers prior to 2005, before most of the road reconstruction work on the interchanges was done. As a result of lane changing and constant congestion, many accidents occurred on the interchange after its completion in the early 1970s.[7] The current layout of the two Interstates now provides for safer exits and entrances, minimal congestion, and better road surface durability. The project also realigned the two interstates to improve the infrastructure of the highway from an asphalt surface to a complete concrete surface. Numerous bridges were rebuilt, including the residential streets of Edgerton Street and Labore Road in Vadnais Heights.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) updated the overlapped section between I-694 and I-35E to increase the number of lanes from six (three in each direction) to 12 (six in each direction) and eliminated the requirement to change lanes through the area. The section was rebuilt in concrete instead of asphalt and noise walls were added.

Another construction project, the I-35W/US 10/I-694 North Central Corridor Reconstruction Project, also designed to reduce unnecessary traffic crossovers on the highway, began in September 2011. This project eliminated the weaving movements of I-694 at its interchange with US 10 and MN 51 in Arden Hills. This interchange often created one of the worst bottlenecks in the Twin Cities because drivers need to change at least one lane to continue either direction on I-694 between MN 51 (Snelling Avenue) and US 10. When the construction project was completed, the roadway of I-694 included two through lanes in each direction from I-35W at New Brighton to US 10 at Arden Hills, three through lanes in each direction from US 10 in Arden Hills to Rice Street at Shoreview–Little Canada, and five through lanes in each direction from Rice Street to the I-694/I-35E interchange, compared with the two to three lanes throughout the I-694 corridor.[8] Construction on the North Central Corridor project began the week of September 19, 2011. Work was completed in November 2013, at an estimated cost of $185.5 million (equivalent to $216 million in 2021[9]).[10]

Exit list

Exit numbers continue from I-494.

CountyLocationmi[1]kmExitDestinationsNotes
HennepinMaple Grove27.366–
27.969
44.041–
45.012

I-494 south
MNDOT signs this as counterclockwise terminus of I-694; clockwise terminus of I-494
27

I-94 west / US 52 north St. Cloud
West end of I-94/US 52 overlap; I-94 exit 216
28.460–
28.493
45.802–
45.855
28 CSAH 61 (Hemlock Lane)
Brooklyn Park32.97953.07529 US 169Signed as exits 29A (south) and 29B (north)
30.52949.13230Boone Avenue
31.45450.62031 CSAH 81 (Bottineau Boulevard)
Brooklyn Center33.47953.87933 CSAH 152 (Brooklyn Boulevard)
34.77055.95734Shingle Creek ParkwayEastbound exit spilt from I-94 east
35.248–
35.272
56.726–
56.765
35B
I-94 east / US 52 south Minneapolis
East end of I-94/US 52 overlap; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
35A
MN 100 south
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; northern terminus of MN 100
35B
I-94 east / US 52 south
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; I-94 exit 225
35.81557.63935C
MN 252 / Great River Road (National Route)
Western end of Great River Road overlap
Mississippi RiverI-694 Bridge
AnokaFridley36.21958.28936
CSAH 1 (East River Road) / Great River Road (National Route)
Eastern end of Great River Road overlap
36.93859.44637 MN 47 (University Avenue)
37.71260.69238 MN 65 (Central Avenue)
RamseyNew Brighton39.15763.01739 CSAH 44 (Silver Lake Road)
39.95664.30340 CSAH 45 (10th Street)
40.76265.60041 I-35WSigned as exits 41A (south) and 41B (north); I-35W exits 26B-C (formerly signed as exits 27A-B); cloverleaf interchange
Arden Hills41.87467.39042B
MN 51 south (Snelling Avenue)
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; access via US 10
42.33368.12842A
US 10 west Anoka
West end of US 10 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Arden HillsShoreview line42.78768.85942C CSAH 51 (Lexington Avenue)
Shoreview43.58670.14543 CSAH 52 (Victoria Street)
45 CSAH 49 (Rice Street)Diverging Diamond Interchange
Little Canada46.41774.70146

I-35E south / US 10 east St. Paul
East end of US 10 overlap; west end of I-35E overlap; I-35E exit 113 northbound
Vadnais Heights47.06775.74747
I-35E north Duluth
East end of I-35E overlap; I-35E exits 113-114 southbound
White Bear LakeMaplewood line48.48378.02648 US 61
49.665–
49.695
79.928–
79.976
50 CSAH 65 (White Bear Avenue)
RamseyWashington
county line
Mahtomedi51.31282.57951 MN 120 (Century Avenue)
WashingtonPine Springs52.49184.47652 MN 36 North St. Paul, StillwaterSigned as exits 52A (west) and 52B (east)
Oakdale54.74388.10055 CSAH 14 (34th Street North)Former MN 5
57.12391.93157 CSAH 10 (10th Street North)
OakdaleWoodbury line58.101–
58.133
93.504–
93.556
58 I-94 / US 12 St. Paul, Eau ClaireSigned as exits 58A (west) and 58B (east); I-94 exit 249
Woodbury
I-494 south
Clockwise terminus of I-694; counterclockwise terminus of I-494
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. Minnesota Department of Transportation (September 6, 2011). Statewide Trunk Logpoint Listing (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 14, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  2. Minnesota Department of Transportation (2009). Explore Minnesota: Official State Highway Map (Map) (2009–2010 ed.). Scale not given. St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Transportation. Metropolitan Saint Paul–Minneapolis inset. §§ V25–Y25, Y25–Y26. OCLC 5673160, 80405240, 611514840 via Minnesota Digital Library.
  3. Minnesota Legislature (2018). "§161.12, Additional Routes Added; Federal Aid". Minnesota Statutes. Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  4. Federal Highway Administration (August 2003). National Highway System: Minneapolis – St. Paul (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  5. Adderly, Kevin (August 26, 2010). "Planning, Environment, & Realty". National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  6. Northern Pump Company (1942). News Stories of the Northern Pump Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota, from September 24th, 1940-[Nov. 9, 1942]. OCLC 62416184.
  7. "Unweave the Weave Project Overview". Minnesota Department of Transportation.
  8. Minnesota Department of Transportation (November 2017). "I-694 Project in Arden Hills". Minnesota Department of Transportation.
  9. Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved January 1, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
  10. Minnesota Department of Transportation (July 2007). "III. Alternatives". I-694: 35E to 35W Environmental Assessment (PDF) (Report). Minnesota Department of Transportation. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
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