West Metro

This page covers US 12 from the Wright/Hennepin County line to I-394/I-494 in Minnetonka.  Total length of this section is approximately 16.7 miles.

Description

US 12 is one of four primary routes leading into the Twin Cities metro from the west (the other three being US 212, MN 7, and MN 55).  Most of this portion of US 12 is a 2 lane road that has not seen significant change in decades.  The easternmost portion, well within the Twin Cities metro, was upgraded to freeway in stages between 1972 and 1986.  Although widening of US 12 to 4 lanes had long been proposed west of Wayzata, disagreements between Long Lake, Orono, and Maple Plain on alignment, plus a desire by county and local officials in Independence to limit development pressures in western Hennepin County, all led to a decision by MnDOT in 1996 to stop any further planning on a 4-lane US 12.  Plans since then have centered on improvements to the existing route similar to the ongoing reconstruction as a Super-2 expressway in Wright County, plus the 2-lane freeway bypass of Long Lake currently under construction.

Roadway Configuration

Average Daily Traffic Counts

Location 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 10-yr
'96-'06
Change
E of Delano 12,200 12,200 12,700 14,500 14,500 14,100 +16%
E of CSAH 92 12,900 12,900 14,100 16,000 16,100 16,500 +28%
E of CSAH 90 13,800 14,300 15,300 17,600 16,000 14,900 +8%
E of CSAH 83 15,000 15,500 17,000 18,500 18,000 17,400 +16%
E of CSAH 29 15,500 18,500 18,000 20,000 18,500 17,700 +14%
E of CSAH 6 18,000 19,900 20,000 20,600 21,000 17,700 -2%
E of Old Crystal Bay Rd 20,600 22,000 22,500 24,100 24,000 24,000 +17%
E of Willow Dr 22,000 24,300 25,500 26,000 26,000 25,000 +14%
E of Brown Rd/CSAH 146 24,000 26,000 26,500 28,000 25,000 24,700 +3%
E of Wayzata Blvd 22,500 26,000 22,500 23,000 21,000 24,700 +10%
E of CSAH 15 40,000 42,000 44,000 44,000 44,000 46,000 +15%
E of Central Ave/CSAH 101 48,000 51,000 54,000 54,000 55,000 58,000 +21%
E of CSAH 101 SOUTH 65,000 69,000 72,000 72,000 74,000 74,000 +14%
E of Carlson Pkwy 70,000 73,000 76,000 76,000 79,000 78,000 +11%

East of Carlson Pkwy includes traffic on the C/D roads.

Click HERE for the Exit List

Speed Limit

Future Plans

Froggie Suggests:

Links

Last updated 12 May, 2008