Hennepin County Routes

The following is a listing of county highway routes in Hennepin County, MN, my native county and the home of the city of Minneapolis.  The listing includes basic information on each route, plus what history I've been able to piece together.  The following sources were used:

From:  Carver County line (becomes Carver CSAH 14)
To: 
Length:  About 17.4 miles
Created:  Part of the original County State Aid system.
Known History/Adjustments:  In 1953, the eastern end was at then-MN 5/MN 100, where 34th Ave crossed the old Fort Rd (just south of today's entrance from 34th Ave into Fort Snelling Cemetery).
Around 1959, CSAH 1 was moved from the eastern segment of Old Shakopee Rd and 34th Ave to its present route along 24th Ave S.
Cities Served:  Eden Prairie, Bloomington
State Aid:  Entire length
Street/Road Names:  Pioneer Trl, W Old Shakopee Rd, W 98th St, E 98th St, E Old Shakopee Rd, 24th Ave S
Comments:  Has followed the same general routing since at least 1969.
The first SPUI in the Twin Cities metro area was built at CSAH 1's eastern terminus at I-494/24th Ave, as part of the roadway infrastructure for the then-new Mall of America.
CSAH 1 is somewhat unique in that it has a rare duplex with a state maintained route...it duplexes with US 169 for about a mile along the Eden Prairie/Bloomington line.

From: 
To: 
Length:  About 4.5 miles
Creation:  Appears on the 1959 Highway Department map.  This is the 2nd CSAH 2.
Known History/Adjustments:  None
Cities Served:  Minneapolis
State Aid:  Entire length
Street/Road Names:  Penn Ave S, Penn Ave N
Comments:  Has followed the same path since it was first created.
CR 2 #1:  Appeared on the 1953 map.  Was not a State Aid route.  Followed what is now Staring Lake Pkwy in Eden Prairie from CSAH 1 around the north side of Staring Lake to today's US 212/Anderson Lakes Pkwy intersection.  CR 2 was dropped in time for Penn Ave to pick up the CSAH 2 designation by 1959.

From: 
To:  Ramsey County line (becomes Ramsey CSAH 35)
Length:  About 16.1 miles
Creation:  Part of the original County State Aid system.
Known History/Adjustments:  In 1953, CSAH 3 had four separate segments, beginning at the original western terminus at the Carver County line, approximately the same location where MN 7 now crosses the county line just west of Shorewood Oaks Dr.  CSAH 3 followed part of today's MN 7 right-of-way, then followed Yellowstone Trl and Academy Ave into Excelsior, meeting what was then MN 41 at the Academy Ave/Water St intersection.  CSAH 3 then had a second segment following Water St (northeast of Oak St), 2nd St, and Excelsior Blvd through the rest of Excelsior.  A third segment began at the location where Old Excelsior Blvd and St. Albans Bay Rd intersected MN 7 (about 1/4 mile west of today's MN 7/Old Market Rd intersection) and followed Old Excelsior Blvd east to MN 7 at Sparrow Rd.  The fourth segment of CSAH 3 began at the MN 7/Excelsior Blvd intersection about 1/2 mile west of today's CSAH 101, and is what morphed into today's CSAH 3 along Excelsior Blvd.
The original eastern terminus was at what is today's MN 100/Excelsior Blvd interchange.
Around 1959, the three western segments were dropped, leaving CSAH 3's western terminus at the MN 7/Excelsior Blvd intersection.
Also around 1959, CSAH 3 was realigned onto its present-day route between CSAH 60/Baker Rd and Monroe Ave in Hopkins.  The previous routing used then-existing segments of Pioneer Rd, Shady Oak Rd, and Main Street through downtown Hopkins.
By 1969, the western terminus was moved to its present location at then-MN 101/now-CSAH 101.
In 1988, CSAH 3 was extended east along Excelsior Blvd and Lake St to the Mississippi River, except for a gap along Lake St between Lyndale Ave and MN 55/Hiawatha Ave.
Between 1991 and 1993, the above-mentioned gap was partially filled, between Lyndale Ave and Portland Ave.
The rest of the gap was filled in sometime in the late 1990s.
Cities Served:  Minnetonka, Hopkins, St Louis Park, Minneapolis
State Aid:  Entire length
Street/Road Names:  Excelsior Blvd, W Lake St, E Lake St
Comments:  Much of Lake St through Minneapolis is undergoing a multi-year reconstruction, the first such reconstruction of Lake St in about 50 years.

From: 
To: 
Length:  About 6.8 miles
Creation:  Part of the original County State Aid system.
Known History/Adjustments:  The segment between US 212 and CSAH 1 was originally not State Aid.  It became part of the State Aid system sometime between 1972 and 1983.
Around 2005, a short segment south of CSAH 1 was realigned onto a new alignment between Spring Rd and the Pioneer Trl (CSAH 1) / Eden Prairie Rd intersection.
Cities Served:  Eden Prairie, Minnetonka
State Aid:  Entire length
Street/Road Names:  Spring Rd, Eden Prairie Rd
Comments:  Except for the recent realignment near CSAH 1, CSAH 4 has retained the same general routing and alignment it's had since 1953.
The 2000 county plan suggests further realignment south of Spring Rd, running between a new development on a hilltop overlooking the Minnesota River and the Flying Cloud Airport.

From: 
To: 
A gap exists between and
Length:  About 12.6 miles (8.7 + 3.9)
Creation:  Part of the original County State Aid system.
Known History/Adjustments:  The original western terminus was where Manor Rd used to intersect MN 7 (east of today's MN 7/Christmas Lake Rd intersection).  CSAH 5 then followed Manor Rd northeast, then north on Vine Hill Rd to Minnetonka Blvd.
By 1959, CSAH 5 was moved off of Manor Rd and followed all of Vine Hill Rd between MN 7 and Minnetonka Blvd.
Also around 1959, the eastern segment through Minneapolis was created.  This segment had a short duplex with then-MN 7, then a short segment along France Ave.  It then followed Sunset Blvd, Burnham Rd, Upton Ave, W 24th St, a short segment of Lake of the Isles Pkwy, then up Penn Ave to W Franklin.  It then followed Franklin Ave all the way east to the county line (which is also the Minneapolis/St Paul border).
Between 1966 and 1969, the segment through the Minneapolis Lakes area, between then-MN 7/Lake St and then-CSAH 20/Hennepin Ave was dropped.  Around the same time, the easternmost segment was dropped from Franklin Ave SE and moved onto its present-day alignment along 27th Ave SE.
Between 1969 and 1972, the western terminus was moved to its present location at then-MN 101/now-CSAH 101.
Sometime between 1993 and 2000, the short segment along Franklin Ave between Hennepin Ave and Lyndale Ave was dropped.
Cities Served:  Minnetonka, Hopkins, St Louis Park, Minneapolis
State Aid:  Entire length
Street/Road Names:  Minnetonka Blvd, W Franklin Ave, E Franklin Ave, 27th Ave SE
Comments:  Notable in that a significant gap in the route exists and has existed for almost 40 years.
Though most locals know the route as a county route, MnDOT nonetheless removed the CSAH 5 shields from the I-494 interchange at Minnetonka Blvd in order to eliminate the "confusion factor" for motorists who thought it was MN 5 instead.
Froggie Suggests:  To further eliminate confusion between CSAH 5 and MN 5, the CSAH 5 designation should be eliminated altogether and a new route number used that doesn't conflict with other route numbers.

From:  Carver County line (becomes Carver CSAH 20)
To: 
Length:  About 16.8 miles
Creation:  Part of the original County State Aid system.
Known History/Adjustments:  Prior to the mid 50s, the segment between today's CSAH 83/CSAH 110 and US 12 was part of the original MN 110.  It is unknown whether CSAH 6 duplexed with then-MN 110 or had a gap.
Also prior to the mid 50s, CSAH 6 extended east of its present terminus, loosely following today's MN 55 east to near Wisconsin Ave (the 1959-60 AAA map suggests that some segments of MN 55's southern frontage road were part of original CSAH 6, especially around S Shore Dr and Sunset Trl).  CSAH 6 then followed Golden Valley Rd through Golden Valley, ending where Golden Valley Rd crosses the Minneapolis city limits.
Around 1959, when MN 55 was moved onto the then-new Olson Memorial Hwy, CSAH 6 was truncated to what is today the MN 55/18th Ave N intersection.   The Golden Valley Rd routing became CSAH 66.
Between 1966 and 1969, CSAH 6 was slightly realigned onto its existing routing between CSAH 61 and MN 55, leaving a segment of what is now 16th Ave N.
Cities Served:  Minnetrista, Independence, Orono, Plymouth
State Aid:  Entire length
Street/Road Names:  Watertown Rd, 6th Ave N.  CSAH 6 has no name within Plymouth...it's known simply as County 6.
Comments:  Several Hennepin County highway maps from the late '60s through the early '90s showed CSAH 6 as ending at CSAH 157 around the corner where Hennepin, Carver, and Wright Counties all come together.  From what I've gathered, based on recent MnDOT maps and the 1953-54 and 1959-60 AAA maps cited elsewhere on this page, this was a mapo, and CSAH 6 appears to have always directly transitioned into Carver County.
A major kink in the road just south of US 12 is being eliminated as part of the US 12 Long Lake bypass construction.  This construction will also eliminate CSAH 6's at-grade crossing of the BNSF tracks that parallel US 12 and will put CSAH 6 on an overpass instead.

Known History:  Appears on the 1953-54 map as a route running from the original MN 110 near Mound eastward through the Lake Minnetonka area, through Wayzata, and ending at then-CSAH 6 (now part of MN 55...see above) at Schiebe's Store (now part of Plymouth near Medicine Lake).  By 1959, CSAH 7 was eliminated, replaced by a small part of CSAH 125 and a greatly extended CSAH 15.

From: 
To: 
Length:  About 4.4 miles
Creation:  Likely created when then-US 52 was realigned and 4-laned between the Minneapolis city line and Osseo, sometime in the 1940s.
Known History/Adjustments:  Originally had a very skewed at-grade crossing of the BNSF tracks that paralleled then-US 52, which itself had a slight curve at the time that briefly followed W Broadway north of 69th Ave N then followed Jolly Ln back to its present-day alignment at 77th Ave N.  The curve on then-US 52 was eliminated sometime in the late 50s.
A more perpendicular railroad crossing was built between 1966 and 1969, likely as part of I-94/694 construction.  This moved CSAH 8 onto it's present-day alignment and terminus.
CSAH 8 was originally not part of the County State Aid system.  It became part of the State Aid system sometime between 1953 and 1959.
Cities Served:  Robbinsdale, Crystal, New Hope, Brooklyn Park
State Aid:  Entire length
Street/Road Names:  W Broadway
Comments:  A poor cousin to the parallel CSAH 81, this route is a candidate for turnback to the respective cities, except the short segment between CSAH 102 and CSAH 10, which would become an extension of CSAH 102 if CSAH 8 is dropped.

From: 
To: 
Length:  About 9.3 miles
Creation:  Created around 1959 as part of a turnback of old MN 55.  This is the 2nd CSAH 9.
Known History/Adjustments:  Around 1959, when MN 55 was moved onto the then-new Olson Memorial Hwy between Hamel and Minneapolis, most of MN 55's previous routing became CSAH 9.  This routing followed Old Rockford Rd from MN 55 near Hamel east to Rockford Rd, then along 42nd Ave N to then-US 52/now-CSAH 81, then along Lake Dr and 45th Ave N to what was then MN 152 at Osseo Rd.
In the mid 80s, a new 4-lane alignment of Rockford Rd was built between Xenium Ln and Revere Ln in Plymouth.  Part of the Old Rockford Rd remains as a Plymouth city street.
Sometime between 1993 and 2000, another new 4-lane alignment of Rockford Rd was built between MN 55/CSAH 24 and Polaris Ln, resulting in today's westernmost segment of CSAH 9.  Old Rockford Rd west of Polaris Ln became a Plymouth city street.
Cities Served:  Plymouth, New Hope, Crystal, Robbinsdale, Minneapolis
State Aid:  Entire length
Street/Road Names:  Rockford Rd, 42nd Ave N, Lake Dr, 45th Ave N
Comments:  CSAH 9's existance seems to have been intertwined with that of MN 55 through western Hennepin County, given that the two CSAH 9's that have existed either definately were or possibly were former alignments of MN 55.
Though the segment of CSAH 9 east of CSAH 81 is not much more than a city street, the segment west of CSAH 81 has evolved into an important arterial route.
CSAH 9 #1:  Appeared on the 1953 map, and had two segments.  The first segment started at the Bridge St bridge over the Crow River in Rockford.  It then headed east along Rebecca Park Trl, then southeast along Town Hall Dr, meeting MN 55 at the existing MN 55/Town Hall Dr intersection near the Independence/Corcoran line.  The second segment began at the MN 55/Pioneer Trl intersection (east of CSAH 19) and followed Pioneer Trl to Hamel Rd, then along Hamel Rd to where it remet MN 55, just northwest of today's MN 55/Old Rockford Rd intersection in western Plymouth.  This CSAH 9 was eliminated around 1959 when MN 55 was moved onto the then-new Olson Memorial Hwy.

From: 
To: 
Length:  About 24.4 miles
Creation:  Part of the original County State Aid system.
Known History/Adjustments:  The original western terminus was at the Woodland Trl/Vernon St intersection in northwestern Greenfield.
The original eastern terminus was at the Lyndale Ave(then-US 169) and 55th Ave N intersection in Brooklyn Center.  From today's Brooklyn Blvd/58th Ave N intersection, CSAH 10 followed then-MN 152/Brooklyn Blvd south for one block, then east along what used to be 57th Ave N (since-then eliminated in part due to construction of Brookdale, replaced by today's Bass Lake Rd) to Logan Ave N, then south on Logan Ave to 55th Ave N, then east along 55th Ave N to what was then US 169 along Lyndale Ave.
By 1959, CSAH 10 was extended west to it's present-day western terminus at CSAH 50 in Rockford.
Also by 1959, the eastern terminus was truncated to today's Brooklyn Blvd (then-MN 152) / Bass Lake Rd (CSAH 10) intersection.
Between 1959 and 1964, CSAH 10 was re-extended eastward, along a newly-constructed segment of Bass Lake Rd (along the north side of Brookdale) to it's present-day eastern terminus at MN 100.
At the time, the eastern terminus at MN 100 was an at-grade intersection.  This was replaced with the present-day interchange sometime between 1966 and 1969.
Cities Served:  Rockford, Greenfield, Corcoran, Maple Grove, Plymouth, New Hope, Crystal, Brooklyn Center
State Aid:  Entire length
Street/Road Names:  Rebecca Lake Trl, Woodland Trl, County 10, Bass Lake Rd, 58th Ave N
Comments:  The segment between the two CSAH 50 intersections is a turnback candidate.  When an if that happens, it's possible that CSAH 10 might replace CSAH 50.  More likely, though, is a terminus at County 116.

From:  Wright County line (becomes Wright CSAH 30)
To: 
Length:  About 6.4 miles
Creation:  Part of the original County State Aid system.
Known History/Adjustments:  No major adjustments.
Cities Served:  Independence, Medina, Loretto
State Aid:  Entire length
Street/Road Names:  None
Comments:  This route appears to be the same as it was when it was originally created.  About the only change I was able to find was that it was paved sometime in the 1950s.

From:  Wright County line (becomes Wright CSAH 42)
To:  Russell Ave N/93rd Way N intersection in Brooklyn Park
Length:  About 14.1 miles
Creation:  Part of the original County State Aid system.
Known History/Adjustments:  The original western terminus was at then-MN 101/now-CSAH 13 in old-town Dayton.
The original eastern terminus was at the location where old W River Pkwy intersected the old Jefferson Highway, about 1 block north of today's US 169/CSAH 12 North intersection and just south of the Mississippi River bridge.
Around 1956, US 169 was realigned slightly in central Champlin, onto the curve it follows today just south of the river bridge.  This moved CSAH 12 onto Dayton Rd and a new eastern terminus about 150 feet north of the present-day 169/12 North intersection.
Around 1968, MN 101 was moved to its present-day alignment between Rogers and Elk River, and CSAH 12 was extended west to its present-day western terminus.
Around 1986, MN 252 was moved to its present-day alignment, and CSAH 12 was extended east of US 169, along W River Rd and Russell Ave N to end at then-CSAH 30 at the old 93rd Ave/Russell Ave intersection.
Around 1991, CSAH 12 was realigned slightly further at the north junction with US 169, as part of the US 169 bridge replacement project across the Mississippi River.
Around 2000, construction of MN 610 resulted in the elimination of a stretch of CSAH 30/93rd Ave N, resulting in CSAH 12's present-day dead-end terminus at Russell Ave/93rd Way.
Around 2003, CSAH 12 was realigned slightly when Noble Pkwy was extended north to meet CSAH 12.
Cities Served:  Dayton, Champlin, Brooklyn Park
State Aid:  Entire length
Street/Road Names:  Robinson St, Division St, Dayton River Rd, Dayton Rd, W River Rd, Russell Ave N
Comments:  Three realignments are proposed along CSAH 12:
- The first proposed realignment shows up in the city of Dayton's Comprehensive Plan.  Per the plan, CSAH 12 would be built on a new alignment roughly 500-1,000 feet south of the existing alignment, from Shadyview Ln in northwestern Dayton to about 1/2 mile northwest of CSAH 144.
- The second proposed realignment is in Champlin, and would realign CSAH 12 onto a small segment of Hayden Lake Rd between US 169 and existing CSAH 12, in order to eliminate a nasty turn/intersection along US 169 at the existing 169/12 South intersection.
- The third proposed realignment would relocate CSAH 12 onto Noble Pkwy between existing CSAH 12 and MN 610.  This would put CSAH 12 onto a more appropriate roadway for a minor arterial and eliminate the dead-end that currently exists in the route.
Froggie Suggests:  To eliminate potential confusion between CSAH 12 and US 12, the CSAH 12 designation should be replaced with CSAH 72.

 

Additional routes will be added as time permits.