Northern Minnesota

This page covers US 2 through northern Minnesota, from the North Dakota border at East Grand Forks, MN to the Wisconsin border at Duluth, MN.  Total length of US 2 is approximately 264 miles.

General Description/Suggestions

US 2 is generally 4 lanes west of Cass Lake, and 2 lanes east of Cass Lake.  It is part of the National Highway System, and is a Medium Priority Interregional Corridor.  Because of its importance, I suggest making it a 4-lane corridor across the state.

Average Daily Traffic Counts (various locations)

Speed Limit

• Generally 65 MPH outside of towns west of Cass Lake, 55 MPH in the rural areas east of Cass Lake.  Details will be part of a future update.

Current Roadway Configuration

• 4-lane divided from ND state line at East Grand Forks to Cass Lake, except 4-lane undivided through Crookston and Bagley.
• 4-lane freeway bypass of Bemidji.
• 2-lane undivided from Cass Lake to Deer River.
• 4-lane divided/undivided from Deer River to Grand Rapids.
• 2-lane undivided from Grand Rapids to Duluth.
• 4-lane freeway in Duluth (mostly while duplexed with I-35).

MnDOT's Vision

MnDOT's overall vision for US 2 is as a Preservation corridor, except for two segments which would be Management corridors:  from Bemidji to Deer River and in the Grand Rapids area.  No major capacity expansions are envisioned, although as a Management corridor passing lanes might be added between Bemidji and Deer River, similar to what currently exists in a few locations between Grand Rapids and Proctor.

Specific Future Projects

• A corridor study is underway between MN 89 and MN 197 at the west end of the Bemidji bypass, which will identify future plans for that section.
• Upgrades between Bena and MN 46 near Deer River are currently planned for 2006.
• Auxiliary lane construction between MN 46 and the east limits of Deer River is proposed for the 2015-2023 timeframe.
• Phase 1 (or part of it) of the Grand Rapids Reconstruction is planned for 2008.
• Phase 2 of the Grand Rapids Reconstruction is planned for the 2015-2023 timeframe.

Froggie Suggests

• Construct 4-lane freeway "northern bypass" of Grand Forks/East Grand Forks.
• Access management from Grand Forks to Crookston.
• Construct 4-lane freeway "southern bypass" of Crookston.
• Access management from Crookston to Erskine.
• Construct interchange at Polk CSAH 34 in Erskine, and access management between CSAH 34 and US 59 (in effect, a freeway through Erskine).
• Access management from Erskine to Fosston.
• Construct 4-lane freeway "northern bypass" of Fosston.
• Access management from Fosston to Bagley.
• Construct 4-lane freeway "northern bypass" of Bagley.
• Access management from Bagley to MN 89.
• Upgrade to 4-lane freeway from MN 89 to west end of Bemidji bypass.
• Access management from east end of Bemidji bypass to Cass Lake.
• Upgrade to 4-lane expressway with access management from Cass Lake to Deer River.
• Construct 4-lane freeway "northern bypass" of Deer River.
• Access management from Deer River to Cohasset.
• Construct 4-lane freeway "northern bypass" of Cohasset/Grand Rapids/La Prairie.
• Upgrade to 4-lane expressway with access management from La Prairie to Floodwood.
• Construct 4-lane expressway "southern bypass" of Floodwood.
• Upgrade to 4-lane expressway from Floodwood to MN 33.
• Construct 4-lane freeway from MN 33 to I-35 (includes some sections along existing US 2).
• Widen I-35/US 2 duplex to 6 lanes.

Links

• Back to Froggie's Minnesota Corridors
• Back to Twin Cities Highways

Last updated 03 February, 2006