U.S. Highway 61 (US 61) is a U.S. Highway in southeastern and east-central Minnesota, which runs from the Mississippi River Bridge at La Crescent and continues north to its northern terminus at its junction with Interstate 35 (I-35) at the city of Wyoming.
 U.S. Highway 61 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 61 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MnDOT | ||||
| Length | 164.93 mi[1] (265.43 km) | |||
| Existed | November 26, 1926[2]–present | |||
| Tourist routes |  Great River Road | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |    US 61 / US 14 / WIS 16 at La Crescent | |||
| North end |  I-35 at Wyoming | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Minnesota | |||
| Counties | Houston, Winona, Wabasha, Goodhue, Dakota, Washington, Ramsey, Chisago | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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US 61 in Minnesota is 165 miles (266 km) in length. The highway connects the cities of La Crescent, Winona, Wabasha, Lake City, Red Wing, Hastings, Cottage Grove, Saint Paul, Forest Lake, and Wyoming.
Route description
editUS 61 enters the state of Minnesota at the city of La Crescent on the River Bridge over the Mississippi River between the cities of La Crosse and La Crescent. US 61 runs concurrently with US 14 and State Highway 16 (MN 16) as it enters the state. The four-lane divided highway continues north through La Crescent. US 61 follows the Mississippi River through southeast Minnesota; through the cities of Winona, Wabasha, Lake City, and Red Wing.
US 61 is a two-lane roadway between Wabasha and Red Wing. US 61 crosses the Mississippi River at Hastings over the new Hastings Bridge and joins US 10 at Cottage Grove. US 61 and US 10 run concurrently as a freeway between Cottage Grove and the city of Saint Paul. Within the city of Saint Paul, US 61 follows I-94 for a short distance, and then follows Mounds Boulevard, East 7th Street, and Arcade Street through the east side of St. Paul.
US 61 then proceeds north to Maplewood, where it becomes a four-lane highway named Maplewood Drive to White Bear Lake. Between I-694 and the central business district of White Bear Lake, the road serves one of the Twin Cities region's major car dealership areas. After leaving White Bear Lake, US 61 is a two-lane roadway again to Forest Lake and then to its northern terminus at the city of Wyoming. US 61 closely parallels I-35E and I-35 from Saint Paul to Wyoming.
Approximately 120 miles (190 km) of US 61 from La Crescent to Cottage Grove in southeast Minnesota is officially designated the Disabled American Veterans Highway. Legally, the Minnesota section of US 61 is defined as unmarked legislative routes 3, 104, 102 and 1 in the Minnesota Statutes. US 61 is not marked with these legislative numbers along the actual highway.
History
editUS 61 in Minnesota is an original U.S. Highway, established on November 26, 1926.[2] It originally extended north to the Canadian border at Grand Portage, but it was cut back to its present terminus in 1991. The portion between Duluth and Grand Portage is now MN 61. Segments of the old alignment that parallel MN 61 and I-35 have been designated County Road 61 (CR 61).
In 1929, the only unpaved portions were from Hastings to Wabasha and from Winona to the Wisconsin state line. It was completely paved by 1940.[3]
The expressway sections south of Wabasha were built in the 1960s and the 1970s. The four lane divided highway section between Red Wing and MN 316 near Miesville was completed in 1997. The freeway section of US 61 between Cottage Grove and I-494 at Newport was completed in 2007.[3]
The US 61 Hastings High Bridge received considerable attention from increased bridge inspections in 2008 following the August 1, 2007, I-35W Bridge collapse in nearby Minneapolis. The Hastings High Bridge, a steel arch structure built in 1951, was structurally deficient and shows considerable deterioration. It was also a notorious traffic bottleneck because it had only one lane each way and discharged southbound US 61 traffic into downtown Hastings. The old Hastings bridge was replaced in 2013.[4]
Major intersections
edit| County | Location | mi[5] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River | 0.000 | 0.000 |      US 14 east / US 61 south / WIS 16 east / Alt. I-90 east – La Crosse | Wisconsin state line | ||
| La Crosse West Channel Bridge | ||||||
| Houston | La Crescent | 1.712 | 2.755 |         MN 16 west (Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway) / Great River Road south / CSAH 6 west to MN 26 – Hokah, Rushford | North end of MN 16 overlap; south end of Great River Road overlap | |
| Winona | Dresbach Township | 4.074 | 6.556 | 276 | I-90 east – La Crosse, Tomah, Madison | North end of I-90 Alt. overlap; south end of I-90 overlap |
| Dresbach | 6.636 | 10.680 | 273B | Dresbach | No northbound entrance; signed as exit 273B&A northbound | |
| 7.087 | 11.405 | 273A | Dresbach | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| Dakota | 8.736 | 14.059 | 270 | I-90 west – Albert Lea | North end of I-90 overlap | |
| 8.925 | 14.363 | 9 |   CR 12 / CR 101 – Dakota | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; I-90 exit 271 (northbound) | ||
| Richmond Township | 17.438 | 28.064 |    CSAH 7 / Great River Road Spur – Pickwick | |||
| Winona | 25.688 | 41.341 |  MN 43 – Rushford, Wisconsin, Minnesota State College Southeast Technical | |||
| 27.159 | 43.708 |  CSAH 44 / Great River Road Spur – Winona State University, MN Marine Art Museum | ||||
| 29.522 | 47.511 | US 14 west / Pelzer Street – Rochester, St. Marys University | North end of US 14 overlap | |||
| Rollingstone Township | 46.118 | 74.220 |  MN 248 west – Rollingstone, Altura, Minnesota City | |||
| Wabasha | Weaver | 46.740 | 75.221 |   MN 74 south – Whitewater State Park, St. Charles | ||
| Greenfield Township | 53.979 | 86.871 |   MN 42 south / CSAH 18 – Plainview | |||
| Wabasha | 60.172 | 96.837 |   MN 60 (Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway) to Great River Road (Wisconsin Route) – Zumbro Falls, Wabasha, Wisconsin, National Eagle Center | |||
| Lake City | 74.005 | 119.100 |  US 63 south (Lyon Avenue / Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway) – Zumbro Falls, Rochester | South end of US 63 overlap | ||
| Goodhue | Red Wing | 88.957– 89.424 | 143.162– 143.914 |  MN 292 / Great River Road Spur | Both ends of MN 292 loop | |
| 91.047 | 146.526 |   US 63 north / MN 58 south (Plum Street) – Minnesota State College Southeast Technical, Wisconsin | North end of US 63 overlap | |||
| 96.561 | 155.400 |  MN 19 west – Cannon Falls | ||||
| 97.701 | 157.235 |  CSAH 18 (Prairie Island Boulevard) – Prairie Island Indian Community, Treasure Island Resort & Casino, Lock and Dam No. 3 | ||||
| Welch Township | 101.142 | 162.772 |  CSAH 7 (Welch Village Road) – Welch, Welch Village | |||
| 104.480 | 168.144 |    MN 316 north / Great River Road north – Hastings | North end of Great River Road overlap | |||
| Dakota | Douglas Township | 107.588 | 173.146 |   MN 50 west to MN 20 – Hampton, Cannon Falls | ||
| Hastings | 115.706 | 186.211 | MN 316 south / Great River Road south | South end of Great River Road overlap | ||
| 115.806 | 186.372 | Great River Road Spur (21st Street) | ||||
| 116.310 | 187.183 | 18th Street East | Former MN 291 east | |||
| 116.848 | 188.049 |  MN 55 west | ||||
| 117.407 | 188.948 |   CSAH 42 west (2nd Street) / Great River Road (National Route) north | Interchange; south end of Great River Road (National Route) overlap (US 61 south of here is an alternate route of the Great River Road) | |||
| Mississippi River | 117.458– 117.810 | 189.030– 189.597 | Hastings Bridge | |||
| Washington | Denmark Township | 119.120 | 191.705 |   US 10 east / Great River Road (National Route) south / I-94 Alt. east – Prescott | North end of Great River Road overlap; south end of I-94 Alt. / US 10 overlap | |
| Cottage Grove | 119.966 | 193.067 |  MN 95 north (Manning Avenue) – Stillwater | |||
| 122.826– 123.270 | 197.669– 198.384 | — |   CSAH 19 / CR 19A (Innovation Road) | Interchange; south end of freeway | ||
| 124.050– 124.579 | 199.639– 200.490 | — | Jamaica Avenue | Interchange | ||
| 125.952 | 202.700 | — | Grange Boulevard / 80th Street | Interchange | ||
| St. Paul Park | 127.730– 128.236 | 205.562– 206.376 | 127 |  CSAH 22 (70th Street) / Summit Avenue | Interchange | |
| Newport | 129.183– 129.700 | 207.900– 208.732 | 129 | Glen Road | Interchange | |
| 130.053– 130.450 | 209.300– 209.939 | 130A |  I-494 / Great River Road (National Route) south | Interchange; I-494 exits 63A&B; south end of Great River Road overlap | ||
| Ramsey | St. Paul | 130.665 | 210.285 | 130B | Maxwell Avenue / Bailey Road | Interchange; north end of freeway |
| 134.956 | 217.191 | Great River Road (National Route) north (Warner Road / County 36) | north end of Great River Road overlap | |||
| 135.550 | 218.147 | I-94 east (US 12) / East 3rd Street | North end of I-94 Alt. overlap; south end of I-94 / US 12 overlap; US 61 south follows exit 244; no access from US 61 south to 3rd Street or 3rd Street to US 61 north | |||
| 136.685 | 219.973 | I-94 west / US 10 west (US 12) / Kellogg Boulevard / Mounds Boulevard | North end of I-94 / US 10 / US 12 overlap; US 61 north follows exit 243 | |||
| 137.424 | 221.162 |  MN 5 west (7th Street) | South end of MN 5 overlap | |||
| 138.014 | 222.112 | MN 5 east (East 7th Street) | North end of MN 5 overlap | |||
| Maplewood | 141.464– 141.754 | 227.664– 228.131 |  MN 36 – Stillwater | Interchange | ||
| Vadnais Heights | 143.461– 143.586 | 230.878– 231.079 |  I-694 | Interchange; I-694 exit 48 | ||
| Vadnais Heights–Gem Lake line | 144.467 | 232.497 |  CSAH 15 (County E) | Former MN 244 north | ||
| White Bear Lake | 146.726 | 236.133 |  CSAH 96 west | Former MN 96 west | ||
| 147.822 | 237.896 |  MN 96 east – Stillwater | ||||
| Washington | Forest Lake | 159.295 | 256.360 |  MN 97 west – Lino Lakes, Twin Cities | South end of MN 97 overlap | |
| 159.615 | 256.875 | MN 97 east | North end of MN 97 overlap | |||
| 161.567– 161.705 | 260.017– 260.239 |  US 8 – Taylors Falls | Interchange | |||
| Chisago | Wyoming | 164.858 | 265.313 | CSAH 22 (Wyoming Trail) | Former MN 98 east; south end of CR 22 overlap | |
| 165.111 | 265.720 |    CSAH 30 north (Forest Boulevard) / Old US 61 | Former US 61 north | |||
| 165.487 | 266.326 | I-35 / CSAH 22 west – St. Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth | Interchange; north end of CR 22 overlap; I-35 exit 135 | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
editFurther reading
edit- Johnson, Nathan (2021). Highway 61 Through Minnesota. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781467106931.
References
edit- ^ "Trunk Highway Log Point Listing - Construction District 5" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. November 6, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- ^ a b Weingroff, Richard F. (January 9, 2009). "From Names to Numbers: The Origins of the U.S. Numbered Highway System". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ a b Riner, Steve. "Details of routes 51–75". The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Retrieved October 24, 2010.[self-published source]
- ^ "Hastings Bridge Project Home". Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
- ^ "Statewide Trunk Logpoint Listing" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 20, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
