Southwest Metro (inside the Beltway)

This page covers US 169 from I-494 in Bloomington to I-394 in St. Louis Park, a distance of about 8 miles.

Description

US 169, formerly the CSAH 18 freeway, is a major north-south freeway through the central portion of Hennepin County.  Originally designed and built to accommodate suburban development, the roadway has seen little in the way of upgrades and improvements since construction, and is now a heavy traffic chokepoint in the metro area.

Roadway Configuration

Map will be part of a future update

  • 4 lane freeway
  • Auxiliary lanes between interchanges on most sections

Traffic

Map will be part of a future update

  • Heavy

Average Daily Traffic Counts

Location 1980 1990 1998 2000 '80-'90
Change
'90-'00
Change
'80-'00
Change
2000
Pk Hr
LOS
Froggie's
Priority
Level
N of I-494 12,600 39,000 44,000 58,000 +210% +49% +360% +25% +25%
N of Valley View Rd 13,500 42,000 50,000 62,000 +211% +48% +359% +17% +17%
N of US 212/MN 62 20,100 65,000 83,000 90,000 +223% +38% +348% +27% +27%
N of Bren Rd 15,100 62,000 81,000 87,000 +311% +40% +476% +20% +20%
N of 5th St 12,800 61,000 81,000 86,000 +377% +41% +572% +15% +15%
N of Excelsior Blvd N/A 65,000 86,000 93,000 N/A +43% N/A +14% +14%
N of MN 7 N/A 70,000 91,000 97,000 N/A +39% N/A +4% +4%
N of 36th St 18,200 78,000 97,000 102,000 +329% +31% +460% +9% +9%
N of Minnetonka Blvd 34,700 81,000 98,000 103,000 +133% +27% +197% +12% +12%
N of Cedar Lake Rd 34,900 76,000 94,000 97,000 +118% +28% +178% +10% +10%
N of 16th St 37,000 76,000 94,000 97,000 +105% +28% +162% +10% +10%

Traffic counts for 1980 reflect the then-CSAH 18 freeway.
Section between Excelsior Blvd and 36th St opened in mid-80s.
CSAH 18 became the routing of US 169 in 1988.

Speed Limit

Map will be part of a future update

  • 55 MPH throughout

Current Construction

Future Plans

Froggie Suggests:

Links

Last updated 5/2/04