I-35E South Metro (inside the Beltway)

South Metro (inside the Beltway)

This page covers I-35E from the I-494 interchange in Eagan to the I-94 "Capitol Interchange" in downtown St. Paul. Total length of this section is approximately 7.8 miles.

Description

This segment incidentally has both one of the oldest and one of the newest sections of freeway in the Twin Cities. The "Lexington Bridge" (Mississippi River crossing), along with the section between MN 110 and MN 5, opened in the early 1960s. On the other end of the spectrum, the last portion south of I-94 did not open until 1992. One thing that delayed the completion of I-35E was major controversy in St. Paul over the routing and design between MN 5 and I-94. Local residents were successful in holding up construction on what was in 1972 planned as a 6-lane freeway (with construction scheduled for that year), and progress was stalled in the courts. The court settlement that allowed MnDOT to complete I-35E placed heavy restrictions on the route: a 4-lane "parkway"-like design (with landscaped median), a 45 MPH speed limit, and a ban on trucks larger than 9,000 pounds. While that appeased the local residents enough to the point where construction could begin, drivers have been less happy about the design. Traffic backups are common, and most drivers ignore the 45 MPH speed limit when traffic allows it. Anger against the low speed limit has gotten to the point where legislation has been introduced in recent years to raise the speed limit. Such legislation has yet to be approved, and I would suspect that if passed, MnDOT would find a lawsuit against it as soon as it attempted to raise the speed limit.

Other controversy with the route continues. During the initial 1970s grading construction (before it was halted), connector ramps were constructed to Ayd Mill Rd, although these ramps were not opened until a reconstruction project began on I-94 in downtown St. Paul in the early '90s. After I-94 construction was completed, the ramps were closed and were actually sodded/grassed-over. Ongoing studies in St. Paul regarding what to do with Ayd Mill Rd led to a decision to reopen the ramps around 2003 to study their traffic effects. The ramps remain open today, but are a source of contention for some area residents.

Roadway Configuration

6 lanes south of MN 110
4 lanes between MN 110 and MN 5
Auxiliary lanes between MN 13 and Shepard Rd
4 lane "parkway" between MN 5 and I-94
Auxiliary lanes between MN 5 and Ayd Mill Rd
10 lanes on the I-35E/I-94 common stretch

Average Daily Traffic Counts

Location	1980	1982	1984	1986	1988	1990	1992	1994
N of I-494	N/A	N/A	N/A	46,000	33,000	39,000	46,000	55,000
N of MN 110	10,200	9,300	14,300	33,000	36,000	45,500	53,000	63,000
N of MN 13	19,300	18,800	23,000	42,000	43,000	55,000	60,000	72,000
N of Shepard Rd	9,600	9,600	12,500	27,500	33,000	44,000	55,000	63,000
N of MN 5	N/A	N/A	11,400	21,500	28,100	41,500	62,500	72,000
N of Randolph Ave	N/A	N/A	6,600	12,700	14,500	27,000	50,000	60,000
N of Victoria St	N/A	N/A	N/A	13,200	14,700	28,000	52,000	64,000
N of St. Clair Ave	N/A	N/A	N/A	12,400	15,800	30,000	56,000	70,000
N of Grand Ave	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	8,000	32,000	46,500	63,000
N of Kellogg Blvd	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	31,000	50,000

Location	1996	1998	2000	2002	2004	2006	10-yr '96-'06 Change
N of I-494	60,000	64,000	73,000	74,000	79,000	90,000	+50%
N of MN 110	66,000	69,000	76,000	77,000	82,000	81,000	+23%
N of MN 13	72,000	77,000	80,000	81,000	75,000	87,000	+21%
N of Shepard Rd	65,000	67,000	71,000	72,000	72,000	77,000	+18%
N of MN 5	76,000	79,000	84,000	85,000	80,000	92,000	+21%
N of Randolph Ave	67,000	70,000	74,000	74,000	74,000	74,000	+10%
N of Victoria St	71,000	73,000	77,000	77,000	77,000	77,000	+8%
N of St. Clair Ave	79,000	81,000	85,000	85,000	85,000	84,000	+6%
N of Grand Ave	72,000	70,000	76,000	76,000	77,000	76,000	+6%
N of Kellogg Blvd	59,000	55,000	59,000	59,000	61,000	60,000	+2%

Opened in sections between MN 5 and I-94 between 1984 and 1992.
Opened between I-494 and MN 110 in 1986.
2004 traffic counts between MN 13 and MN 5 were affected by reconstruction of the Lexington Bridge.

Click HERE for the Exit List

Speed Limit

55 MPH south of MN 5
45 MPH north of MN 5

History

Opened between MN 13 and MN 5 in 1965.
Opened between MN 110 and MN 13 in 1966.
Opened between Lone Oak Rd and MN 110 in 1984 (note: I-494 was not completed until 1986).
Opened between MN 5 and St. Clair Ave in 1984.
Opened between St. Clair Ave and Kellogg Blvd in 1989.
Opened between Kellogg Blvd and I-94 in 1992.
Lexington Bridge (across the Mississippi River between MN 13 and Shepard Rd) reconstructed in 2003-04.

Future Plans

Widening from MN 110 to MN 5 is proposed, but MnDOT Metro District's long-range plan does not show this until the 2024-2030 timeframe.
Occasional calls have been put out to either increase the speed limit or widen to 6 lanes along the Parkway section between MN 5 and downtown St Paul. Thus far, no serious consideration has been made for either, although bills still get introduced in the state Legislature on occasion calling for a higher speed limit.

Froggie Suggests

Widen I-35E to 6 lanes between MN 110 and Kellogg Blvd and increase the speed limit to 55 MPH.
Keep the connection between I-35E and Ayd Mill Rd permanent and allow trucks to use the segment of I-35E between MN 5 and Ayd Mill Rd.
Expedite the upgrade of Shepard Rd, and construct an eastern St. Paul CBD bypass, to give heavy trucks an alternative route other than city streets.

Links

Last updated 12 May, 2008