Hennepin County

This page covers I-394 in its entirety from the I-394/I-494/US 12 interchange in Minnetonka to I-394's eastern end at Washington Ave N in downtown Minneapolis.  This includes a roughly 8.7 mile duplex with US 12.  Total length of this section is approximately 9.7 miles.

Description

I-394 is the latest addition to the Interstate system in Minnesota.  Originally designated in 1968 over what was then a 4-lane US 12/Wayzata Blvd corridor, construction did not begin until the mid '80s, and took nearly 10 years to complete.  I-394 is significant in that transit played a key part in its design.  There are many "firsts" associated with I-394, even today.  The route was the first one in Minnesota to include HOV lanes, special lanes reserved for carpools, vanpools, buses, and motorcycles during rush hour.  It is also the first (and so far only) route to include a separated, reversible section.  It is now also the first route in Minnesota to have HO/T lanes, whereby solo drivers can pay a toll to use the often-underutilized HOV lanes.

Although still decried by some, I-394's design is much more efficient and greatly improved over the old US 12 design, and plays an important part in the Twin Cities transportation system.

Roadway Configuration

Average Daily Traffic Counts

Location 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994
E of I-494 43,000 44,800 51,100 52,700 42,500 47,500 77,000 83,000
E of Plymouth Rd 37,300 37,800 45,800 47,100 41,000 53,000 73,000 78,000
E of Ridgedale Dr 40,500 40,000 47,000 47,800 46,500 53,000 88,000 88,000
E of CSAH 73 42,000 42,200 48,500 49,100 49,500 53,000 89,000 95,000
E of US 169 43,400 51,200 54,600 55,200 52,000 47,500 95,000 105,000
E of Winnetka Ave 47,200 50,100 54,000 53,000 54,000 N/A N/A N/A
E of Louisiana Ave 51,200 53,100 55,000 56,000 55,000 50,000 96,000 109,000
W of Vernon Ave 52,500 N/A N/A 57,900 N/A N/A N/A N/A
E of Vernon Ave 57,500 58,100 65,800 69,200 65,000 60,000 76,000 75,000
E of MN 100 82,500 82,800 87,400 92,000 87,000 81,000 101,000 126,000
E of Wirth Pkwy 79,000 79,500 86,000 94,300 89,000 83,000 N/A N/A
E of Penn Ave 76,500 76,800 91,000 100,000 93,000 86,000 102,000 128,000
E of Dunwoody Blvd 60,000 64,100 79,400 87,000 79,500 72,000 N/A N/A
E of I-94 N/A 8,500 31,500 24,600 22,000 26,000 30,000 41,500

 

Location 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 10-yr
'96-'06
Change
E of I-494 96,000 98,000 100,000 101,000 100,000 101,000 +5%
E of Plymouth Rd 84,000 95,000 98,000 96,000 98,000 95,000 +13%
E of Ridgedale Dr 99,000 110,000 113,000 112,000 113,000 110,000 +11%
E of CSAH 73 99,000 113,000 118,000 116,000 118,000 114,000 +15%
E of US 169/Gen. Mills Blvd 115,000 124,000 132,000 131,000 132,000 129,000 +12%
E of Louisiana Ave 119,000 129,000 134,000 133,000 134,000 132,000 +11%
E of Vernon Ave 83,000 121,000 134,000 133,000 134,000 132,000 N/A
E of MN 100 135,000 143,000 145,000 142,000 151,000 148,000 +10%
E of Penn Ave 137,000 148,000 148,000 147,000 147,000 143,000 +4%
E of I-94 44,800 50,000 51,000 N/A 48,000 48,000 +7%
E of 12th St 26,500 34,000 32,000 29,000 29,000 29,000 +9%
E of 6th St 7,200 8,600 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 +278%

Traffic volumes prior to about 1992 reflect the pre-394 US 12 expressway.
Traffic volumes for "E of Vernon" include C/D roads for 1998 and later, and are mainline only prior to 1998.

Click HERE for the Exit List

Speed Limit

History/Timeline

NOTE:  Between I-494 and I-94, I-394 was constructed along the right-of-way of the then-existing US 12 expressway.  Only east of about 12th St was new road actually built.  All construction dates listed below are approximate.

Additional history from a 1975 study is located on this page.

Future Plans

Froggie Suggests

Images (click on a thumbnail for a larger view)

This map, from the ca. 1971 I-394 Corridor Report, shows the seven alignment alternatives initially considered for I-394.

 
The original seven alternatives (plus an eighth "do nothing option") from the ca. 1971 corridor report were later refined into these three alternatives (plus the "do nothing option").  It should be noted that the 1973 Draft EIS did not show the alignment split near Ridgedale as shown in Alternative 1 here.  Instead, the Draft EIS showed Alternative 1 along existing US 12 in that area.

 

These three transit alternatives were studied in the Draft EIS in 1973.  Two alternatives proposed "exclusive transit facilities", though it's unclear whether they would have been rail transit or a BRT-type of system.  The third alternative recommended "preferential bus treatment" along both I-394 and MN 55 and a pair of Reversible HOV lanes in the middle of I-394.
This map clipping, from a 1974 book on the status of Minnesota's Interstate highways, shows a proposed half-interchange on I-394 at France Ave, on the Minneapolis/Golden Valley border near the Target Financial Services (formerly Prudential) building.  An extension of France Ave to the south to meet existing France Ave near the Irving Ave/W 22nd St intersection was part of the plan.  A related county project would have filled in the France Ave gap between Lake St and Excelsior Blvd.

The I-394 Draft EIS, dated 1973, did not show this interchange in any of the alternatives.  Nor did it appear in the 1981 Final EIS.  So it presumably was proposed only during the mid-late 1970s and was subsequently dropped before construction began.
This ca. 1975 map, from the Study Report on Uncompleted Interstate Segments in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, shows the 3rd Ave Distributor as it was proposed at the time.  Note the three parking garages that are proposed, and that what became the 7th St Garage was not originally proposed in the air rights above I-394.

Links

Page last modified 12 May, 2008