Minnesota State Highway 18

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Trunk Highway 18

Length:

78.206 mi^[1] (125.860 km)

Formed:

1920, 1933^[2]

West end:

MN-25 Brainerd

East end:

MN-23 in Finlayson Township

Minnesota State Highways
< TH 16		TH 19 >

Minnesota State Highway 18 is a highway in east-central Minnesota, which runs from Minnesota Highway 25 in Brainerd to Minnesota Highway 23 in Finlayson Township (immediately north of Sandstone and west of Askov). This eastern terminus of Highway 18 is less than 1/2 mile west of an interchange with Interstate Highway 35 along Highway 23.

For part of its route (5 miles), Highway 18 runs together with U.S. Highway 169 in Crow Wing and Aitkin counties around the northwest side of Mille Lacs Lake.

Highway 18 also runs together with Minnesota Highway 47 for 9 miles in Aitkin and Mille Lacs counties around the northeast side of Mille Lacs Lake.

Minnesota Highway 18 is 78 miles in length and passes through the communities of:

1 Notes
2 Landmarks
3 History
4 Major Intersections
5 References

[edit] Notes

Minnesota Highway 18 serves as an east-west arterial route between Brainerd, Garrison, Mille Lacs Lake, and Finlayson in east-central Minnesota.

Highway 18 passes through the counties of:

[edit] Landmarks

The section of Highway 18 from Brainerd to Garrison is officially designated the POW / MIA Memorial Highway. A section of U.S. Highway 169 in Minnesota also takes on this same memorial name designation.

Highway 18 passes around the north end of Mille Lacs Lake, which is a popular fishing and recreational destination in Minnesota.

Highway 18 passes through the Wealthwood State Forest in Aitkin County.

Banning State Park is located immediately east of the junction of Highways 18 & 23 and opposite I-35 (near Sandstone and Askov).

(Banning State Park website - Link)

[edit] History

The section of Highway 18 between Brainerd and U.S. 169 at Garrison was authorized in 1920. The remaining route was authorized in 1933.

Highway 18 previously ended at the current junction of Minnesota Highway 27 and Minnesota Highway 47 (then Minnesota Highway 56) until the mid 1950s.

The current section of Highway 18 between Minnesota Highway 47 and Minnesota Highway 65 was then designated Minnesota Highway 27, and the current section of Highway 18 between Minnesota Highway 65 and Minnesota Highway 23 (north of Sandstone) was first designated Minnesota Highway 66 (essentially east of Mille Lacs Lake).

By 1940, the only paved section of Highway 18 was between Brainerd and Garrison. The last unpaved section of Highway 18 was east of Minnesota Highway 47 to Minnesota Highway 65, paved in the late 1960s.

At one time, Highway 18 had continued farther west of Minnesota Highway 25 in Brainerd. This section was turned back to the city of Brainerd maintenance in 2001 after completion of the Highway 371 Brainerd bypass.

[edit] Major Intersections

County	Location	Mile	Roads intersected	Notes
Crow Wing	Brainerd	0.000	TH 25	West end of TH 18
		0.238	TH 309	West end of TH 309; TH 309 is a short loop that serves the Brainerd State Hospital
		0.314	TH 309	East end of TH 309
	NW of Garrison	13.765	TH 6	South end of TH 6
	Garrison	18.108	US 169 south	South end of US 169 overlap
Aitkin	NE of Garrison	23.383	US 169 north	North end of US 169 overlap
Aitkin	Malmo (unincorporated)	36.015	TH 47 north	North end of TH 47 overlap
Mille Lacs	East Side Township	45.098	TH 47 south	South end of TH 47 overlap
Aitkin	S of McGrath	55.756	TH 27 / TH 65
Pine	Finlayson Township	78.206	TH 23	East end of TH 18; nearby access to I-35 via TH 23