US 10 Northwest Metro

Northwest Metro

This page covers US 10 from the US 169 NORTH/MN 101 interchange in Elk River to the I-35W interchange in Mounds View. This section includes a 10.5 mile duplex with US 169 and an 8.8 mile duplex with MN 47. Total length of this section is approximately 24 miles.

Description

US 10 is one of two "main drags" serving the Twin Cities from the northwest (the other being I-94). US 10 is also one of the oldest expressways in Minnesota, with some sections between the Twin Cities and St. Cloud having been 4-laned as early as the 1940s. Since then, various upgrades and realignments have created a "US 10 Freeway" from I-35W to just west of downtown Anoka, while a 4-lane expressway continues well into northern and west central Minnesota from there. The freeway upgrades began in 1968 with the Anoka bypass, and most recently the late 1999 opening between MN 65 and MN 47/610 completed the freeway from I-35W to Anoka.

US 10 is choked with traffic, with it being one of the few non-Interstate freeways in the north Metro, and also with heavy summertime traffic.

Roadway Configuration

4 lane at-grade expressway from US 169 NORTH/MN 101 to Greenhaven Rd
4 lane freeway from Greenhaven Rd to MN 610
6 lane freeway from MN 610 to near Long Lake Rd
4 lane freeway from near Long Lake Rd to I-35W
Auxiliary lanes between Egret Blvd and MN 47 and also between MN 610 and MN 65

Average Daily Traffic Counts

Location	1980	1986	1988	1990	1996	1998	2000	2002	2004	2006	10-yr '96-'06 Change
W of US 169/MN 101	12,400	N/A	N/A	20,200	21,600	24,100	27,400	32,900	29,000	29,000	+34%
E of US 169/MN 101	13,600	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Sherburne/Anoka Co Ln	13,500	N/A	N/A	20,100	24,000	26,700	31,000	35,000	36,500	36,000	+50%
W of CSAH 83/Armstrong Blvd	13,700	N/A	N/A	N/A	27,000	28,400	32,300	35,000	36,500	36,000	+33%
E of CSAH 83/Armstrong Blvd	15,800	N/A	N/A	24,500	31,000	33,000	37,500	41,000	41,000	39,000	+26%
E of CSAH 56	18,000	N/A	N/A	29,000	34,000	37,000	41,900	43,000	43,000	40,500	+19%
E of CSAH 57	21,500	N/A	N/A	33,000	37,500	41,500	47,000	48,000	48,000	43,500	+16%
E of Thurston Ave	23,800	N/A	N/A	35,000	42,000	48,000	60,000	61,000	61,000	56,000	+33%
E of Fairoak Ave	26,000	N/A	N/A	37,900	42,000	48,000	60,000	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
E of Greenhaven Rd	20,200	N/A	N/A	29,500	38,000	42,500	49,000	50,000	47,000	47,000	+24%
E of US 169/MN 47	21,100	N/A	N/A	40,000	51,500	54,500	57,000	63,000	67,000	68,000	+32%
E of 7th Ave	22,300	N/A	N/A	43,000	52,000	54,500	66,000	67,000	69,000	72,000	+38%
E of Round Lake Blvd	26,500	N/A	N/A	45,000	55,000	60,500	70,000	71,000	72,000	72,000	+31%
SE of MN 242/CSAH 14	25,800	N/A	N/A	46,000	58,000	60,000	75,000	78,000	81,000	81,000	+40%
SE of Hanson Blvd	25,000	N/A	N/A	50,000	65,000	68,000	81,000	90,000	93,000	93,000	+43%
SE of Foley Blvd	28,500	N/A	N/A	55,000	68,000	73,000	88,000	98,000	98,500	100,000	+47%
SE of MN 47 SOUTH/MN 610 WEST	28,500	N/A	N/A	38,000	N/A	49,000	43,000	49,000	51,000	51,000	N/A
SE of MN 610 Split	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	60,000	73,000	84,000	84,000	N/A
SE of MN 65	N/A	N/A	10,500	17,500	N/A	22,500	61,000	70,000	79,000	86,000	N/A
SE of Anoka Co. Airport	5,600	6,600	12,000	18,500	N/A	28,000	62,000	71,000	78,000	78,000	N/A

Opened between Anoka County Airport and MN 65 between 1986 and 1988.
MN 610 WEST opened in 1987.
Opened between MN 65 and MN 47/MN 610 in 1999.
"SE of Foley Blvd" includes traffic going to/from MN 47 SOUTH.

Click HERE for the Exit List

Speed Limit

60 MPH from US 169/MN 101 to near 165th St NW
65 MPH from near 165th St NW to near Armstrong Blvd/CSAH 83
60 MPH from near Armstrong Blvd/CSAH 83 to 7th Ave/CSAH 7
65 MPH from 7th Ave/CSAH 7 to I-35W

History (limited)

Reconstruction of the MN 242 interchange was completed in the early 2000s.
Reconstruction of the Hanson Blvd interchange into a SPUI was completed in 2007.

Future Plans

A corridor study was completed in the early 2000s as part of the Interregional Corridor program. The full recommendation calls for an upgrade to an 8 lane freeway from I-35W to Round Lake Blvd (Anoka CSAH 9), a 6 lane freeway from Round Lake Blvd to US 169 NORTH/MN 101 in Elk River, and a 6 lane expressway from US 169/MN 101 to Waco St in Elk River. With funding extremely tight, the "interim strategy" is to establish lane continuity between I-35W and MN 65 (i.e. get rid of the 3rd lane drops in each direction), and to widen to 6 lanes from MN 610 to Round Lake Blvd. MnDOT estimated the "full vision" cost from I-35W to Waco St at around $380 million (in 2002 dollars), and another $85 million in needs from there to MN 24 in Clear Lake.
Further refinement studies are underway to determine the best location and interchange configurations for a freeway through Ramsey.

Froggie Suggests:

Upgrade the US 169 NORTH/MN 101 interchange to a full freeway-to-freeway interchange with a SB 169 to EB 10 flyover.
Upgrade US 10/169 to a 6 lane freeway (with provisions to accommodate 2 additional lanes in the future) between US 169/MN 101 and Greenhaven Rd. Suggested interchange locations include 171st Ave, Jarvis St, CSAH 83, CSAH 56, CSAH 57, and Thurston Ave.
Reconstruct the Greenhaven Rd interchange as a half interchange to/from the west.
Widen US 10 to 6 lanes (with provisions for an additional 2 lanes in the future) between Greenhaven Rd and Round Lake Blvd.
Widen US 10 to 8 lanes between Round Lake Blvd and MN 47 SOUTH.
Reconstruct the US 169 SOUTH/MN 47 NORTH and MN 242/CSAH 14 interchanges as single-point interchanges.
Widen US 10 to 6 lanes between MN 47 SOUTH and MN 610 WEST.
Upgrade the MN 65 interchange to a "freeway-to-freeway" interchange, possibly with a SB 65 to EB 10 flyover.
Widen US 10 to 6 lanes between County Road J and I-35W.

Links

Last updated 12 May, 2008