I-94 Eastern Metro

Eastern Metro

This page covers I-94 from the I-35E interchange near downtown St. Paul to the I-494/694 interchange in Woodbury. This section includes a 1.4 mile duplex with US 61 and a 2.8 mile duplex with US 10. US 52 has a hidden duplex with I-94 along the western 0.7 mile, and US 12 has a hidden duplex along the entire length. Total length of this section is approximately 6.9 miles.

Description

Formerly known as Hudson Road, and still called that by some, this section of I-94 follows old US 12, and is the primary route between St. Paul and the eastern suburbs. Much of the segment is old and is showing its age, except for that part in/near downtown St. Paul, which was reconstructed and improved during the early 1990s. This reconstruction moved many ramps from the left side to the right side, provided 3 lanes in each direction, and provided a direct connection from southbound I-35E to the US 52 Lafayette Bridge (a movement which formerly had to use city streets). East of St. Paul, however, traffic troubles accumulate, though these are being partially mitigated with completion of 6-laning of I-94 near 3M headquarters in Maplewood.

Roadway Configuration

6 lanes plus auxiliary lanes between I-35E and Mounds Blvd/US 61 NORTH
10 lanes between Mounds Blvd/US 61 NORTH and US 61/10 SOUTH
6 lanes between US 61/10 SOUTH and I-494/694

Average Daily Traffic Counts

Location	1980	1982	1984	1986	1988	1990	1992	1994
E of I-35E NORTH	88,300	93,100	101,000	98,000	103,500	87,000	115,000	146,000
E of US 52 SOUTH	83,000	84,200	86,100	78,800	81,500	66,000	85,000	110,000
Between Mounds Blvd ramps	66,500	72,400	72,400	64,400	66,000	66,000	66,000	92,000
E of Mounds Blvd/US 61 NORTH	75,500	82,000	86,600	77,500	80,000	85,000	90,000	112,000
E of US 61/10 SOUTH	57,000	62,800	67,100	68,000	72,500	77,000	79,000	90,000
E of White Bear Ave	51,700	52,800	59,100	59,600	65,000	69,000	71,000	80,000
E of Ruth St	43,000	44,200	51,000	50,000	54,000	59,000	62,000	70,000
E of McKnight Rd	35,200	34,000	41,500	38,000	43,000	46,500	49,000	58,000
E of 3M	N/A	36,500	40,300	34,500	46,000	41,000	45,500	54,000
E of MN 120	33,300	34,500	38,800	33,500	41,900	45,000	51,000	60,000

Location	1996	1998	2000	2002	2004	2006	10-yr '96-'06 Change
E of I-35E NORTH	155,000	155,000	158,000	160,000	156,000	156,000	+1%
E of US 52 SOUTH	128,000	128,000	132,000	141,000	136,000	132,000	+3%
Between Mounds Blvd ramps	112,000	111,000	114,000	120,000	116,000	116,000	+4%
E of Mounds Blvd/US 61 NORTH	127,000	125,000	129,000	134,000	130,000	129,000	+2%
E of US 61/10 SOUTH	103,000	107,000	109,000	114,000	109,000	114,000	+11%
E of White Bear Ave	93,000	97,000	99,000	104,000	98,000	104,000	+12%
E of Ruth St	83,000	87,000	89,000	94,000	87,000	92,000	+11%
E of McKnight Rd	68,000	73,000	75,000	80,000	74,000	78,000	+15%
E of 3M	65,000	70,000	72,000	77,000	72,000	80,000	+23%
E of MN 120	60,000	77,000	79,000	85,000	85,000	86,000	+43%

1990 counts near downtown St. Paul are low due to construction.
2004 counts east of US 52 are low due to construction.

Click HERE for the Exit List

Speed Limit

55 MPH throughout

History

Opened from I-35E North to east of Mounds Blvd in 1967.
Opened from east of Ruth St to I-494/694 in 1967.
Opened from east of US 61/10 to east of Ruth St in 1969.
Opened from east of Mounds Blvd to east of US 61/10 in 1975.
6-lane widening from MN 120 to I-494/694 ca. 1985.
Reconstructed from I-35E North to Mounds Blvd ca. 1989.
6-lane widening from McKnight Rd to MN 120 completed in 2006.

Future Plans

Auxiliary lanes are being considered between US 61/10 and White Bear Ave. An eastbound auxiliary lane in particular would help a noticeable evening bottleneck.

Froggie Suggests

Reconstruct the interchange with US 52, in conjunction with the Lafayette Bridge replacement. Provide flyover ramps to/from US 52 South where feasible.
Widen I-94 to 8 lanes between US 61/10 SOUTH and McKnight Rd.
Study the feasibility of adding ramps to/from the east at Ruth St.
Reconstruct and improve the interchange complex with McKnight Rd and 3M.
Reconstruct the Century Ave/MN 120 interchange into a single-point interchange.

Links

Last updated 12 May, 2008