Interstate 694

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Interstate 694
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Maintained by MnDOT
Length: 31 mi (50 km)
Formed: 1985
West end: I-94/I-494 in Maple Grove
Major
junctions:
I-94 in Brooklyn Center, MN
I-35W in New Brighton, MN
I-35E in Little Canada, MN
East end: I-94/I-494 in Woodbury
Minnesota State Highways
< TH 610 TH 1 >

Interstate 694 (abbreviated I-694) is a 31 mile (50 km) east-west auxiliary Interstate Highway located in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The western terminus of the route is at Interstate 94 and Interstate 494 in Maple Grove. The eastern terminus is at I-94 and I-494 in Woodbury. The route comprises the northern and northeastern portions of a beltway around the Twin Cities, with Interstate 494 forming the remainder of the beltway.

The speed limit is 60 miles per hour (100 km/h). Interstate highways outside of the loop in Minnesota may be signed as high as 70 mph (110 km/h), but can only reach 55 mph (90 km/h) inside the loop (changes are proposed as of 2005, however).

I-694 interchanges with multiple interstates, including Interstate 35W in New Brighton and Interstate 35E in Little Canada. The route is also concurrent to I-94 for eight miles from Maple Grove to Brooklyn Center.

Contents

[edit] Route description

Mileposts are numbered to increase while traveling eastbound (clockwise). They are in sequence with the numbering of Interstate 494, where the numbering begins and ends at the Minnesota River. Between Maple Grove and Brooklyn Center, they correspond to the beltway numbering, not I-94 mileage.

I-694 has problems with "weave" interchanges. The Unweave the Weave project is underway to disentangle I-694 and I-35E. The project will aid in traffic flow, driver safety, and improve the condition of the roadway.[1] Another weave project involving U.S. Highway 10 and Minnesota State Highway 51 is scheduled to begin around 2012.[citation needed] This interchange sometimes creates one of the worst bottlenecks in the Twin Cities due to the changing of one lane to continue west on Interstate 694 between Minnesota State Highway 51 and U.S. Highway 10.

Legally, the route of Interstate 694 is defined as part of Route 393 in Minnesota Statutes § 161.12(5).[2]


[edit] History

Interstate 694 was originally built in the early 1970s as the thoroughfare for the northern Twin Cities suburbs and surrounding areas.[citation needed] These include the cities of Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Fridley, New Brighton, Arden Hills, Shoreview, Little Canada, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, Maplewood, Oakdale, Pine Springs, and Woodbury.

[edit] Exit list

County Location Mile # Destinations Notes
Hennepin Maple Grove I-494 Counterclockwise exit and clockwise entrance
27 I-94 west – St. Cloud Counterclockwise end of I-94 overlap
28 CR 61
Brooklyn Park 29 US 169 Signed as exits 29A (south) and 29B (north)
30 Boone Avenue
31 CR 81
Brooklyn Center 33 CR 152 (Brooklyn Boulevard)
34 To TH 100 / Shingle Creek Parkway
35A TH 100 Counterclockwise exit and clockwise entrance
35B I-94 east Clockwise end of I-94 overlap
35C TH 252
Anoka Fridley 36 East River Road
37 TH 47 (University Avenue)
38 TH 65 (Central Avenue)
Ramsey New Brighton 39 CR 44 (Silver Lake Road)
40 Long Lake Road, 10th Street Northwest
41 I-35W Signed as exits 41A (south) and 41B (north)
Arden Hills 42B US 10 west – Anoka Counterclockwise end of US 10 overlap; counterclockwise exit and clockwise entrance
42A TH 51 (Snelling Avenue) / Hamline Avenue
43A Lexington Avenue Lexington Avenue is split between Shoreview (northbound side of the street) and Arden Hills (southbound side of the street)
Shoreview 43B Victoria Street
45 TH 49 (Rice Street)
Little Canada 46 I-35E east / US 10St. Paul Clockwise end of US 10 overlap; counterclockwise end of I-35E overlap
Vadnais Heights 47 I-35E north – Duluth Clockwise end of I-35E overlap
White Bear Lake/
Maplewood
48 US 61
50 White Bear Avenue
51 TH 120
Washington Pine Springs 52 TH 36North St. Paul, Stillwater Signed as exits 52A (west) and 52B (east)
Oakdale 55 TH 5
57 Image:Washington County Route 10.svg CR 10 (10th Street North)
58 I-94St. Paul, Madison Signed as exits 58A (west) and 58B (east)
I-494 south Clockwise exit and counterclockwise entrance

[edit] References