Minnesota State Highway 23

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Trunk Highway 23
Length: 339.805 mi[1] (546.863 km)
Formed: 1920[2]
Southwest end: I-90 near Beaver Creek
Northeast end: I-35 in Duluth
Major cities: Pipestone, Marshall,
Granite Falls, Willmar,
Paynesville, Cold Spring,
Waite Park, St. Cloud,
Foley, Milaca,
Mora, Hinckley,
Sandstone, Duluth
Minnesota State Highways
< TH 22 TH 24 >

Minnesota State Highway 23 is a highway that stretches from southwestern to northeastern Minnesota. At 340 miles in length, it is the second longest state route in Minnesota, after Minnesota Highway 1.

This route, signed east-west, runs roughly diagonally across Minnesota from southwest to northeast. It indirectly connects Duluth to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and passes through St. Cloud, Willmar, and Marshall. The highway can be considered making an X with US 52 and co-signed with Interstate 94 as that highway is an east-west routh that runs roughly diagonally across Minnesota from northwest to southeast connecting Fargo, North Dakota with northeastern Iowa and passing through Fergus Falls, Alexandria, Sauk Centre, and Minneapolis co-signed with I-94, and pass through St. Paul and Rochester as US 52. Both Minnesota Highway 23 and I-94/US 52 meet at St. Cloud at Exit 164.

Minnesota Highway 23 runs north from Interstate Highway 90, 13 miles east of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Interstate Highway 35 in Duluth.

Contents

[edit] Route

Minnesota Highway 23 directly serves Pipestone, Marshall, Granite Falls, Willmar, Paynesville, St. Cloud, Hinckley, Sandstone, and Duluth.

Portions of Highway 23 that have been upgraded to a four-lane expressway include approximately 9 miles in the Marshall area in addition to longer stretches between Willmar and New London, and between Richmond and Waite Park (Saint Cloud).

For a majority of the Willmar area, Highway 23 runs concurrently with U.S. Highway 71, which includes a freeway bypass of the city.

Minnesota Highway 23 passes through the counties of:

Highway 23 crosses the Minnesota River at Granite Falls, and the Mississippi River over the DeSoto Bridge at St. Cloud.

Running over surface streets in certain towns, Highway 23 is also known as:

  • Division Street in St. Cloud.
  • Grand Avenue in Duluth.
    The section of Grand Avenue that is marked Highway 23 is from 59th Avenue West and I-35 (in West Duluth) to Idaho Street (in the Morgan Park neighborhood).
  • Commonwealth Avenue in the Gary-New Duluth neighborhood of the city of Duluth.
  • Evergreen Memorial Highway in the Fond du Lac neighborhood of the city of Duluth.

[edit] Parks and Monuments

The highway serves:

[edit] Evergreen Memorial Scenic Drive

50 miles of Highway 23 that travels through Pine, Carlton, and St. Louis counties is officially designated the Veterans Evergreen Memorial Scenic Drive. This portion is between I-35 near Askov and the Gary-New Duluth neighborhood of Duluth, near Highway 39. The scenic roadway offers views of Banning State Park, the Saint Louis River valley, and nearby Jay Cooke State Park.

[edit] A Minnesota Highway in Wisconsin

Minnesota Highway 23 has the rare distinction of being a state highway that passes through another state. At 133rd Avenue West, the southern edge of Duluth, Highway 23 crosses the Saint Louis River into Wisconsin for half a mile before re-entering Minnesota. On some maps, this section is designated "WISC-23", despite there being another Highway 23 in southern Wisconsin. There is no signage, however, along the highway that indicates the brief route across state lines. Nearby is the junction of Highway 23 with Minnesota Highway 210 and Jay Cooke State Park.

[edit] Communities along the route

[edit] History

Highway 23 was authorized between Hinckley and Marshall in 1920. The remainder of Highway 23 was authorized in 1933.

Various sections of Highway 23 were paved from the 1930s through the 1950s. The entire route of Highway 23 was paved by 1961.

The section of present day Highway 23 from its southern terminus to Marshall was originally designated Minnesota Highway 39 until 1940.

The section of present day Highway 23 from Marshall to Willmar was originally designated Minnesota Highway 17 until 1940.

The Highway 23 designation originally extended west from New London to Benson along present day Minnesota Highway 9 (which was also Minnesota Highway 17 from around 1940 to the 1960s.)

Highway 23 originally ran through Sandstone proper (to just west of Askov) along the route that later became Minnesota Highway 123. This was redesignated around 1946.

After completion of I-35, the state maintained Highway 23 through Hinckley and Sandstone. Highway 23 is now concurrent with I-35 from Hinckley to Sandstone.

From 1934 to 1963, the northern terminus for Highway 23 was its junction with old U.S. Highway 61 and U.S. Highway 2 in West Duluth.

From 1963 to 1997, Highway 23 continued farther into Duluth proper as a business route via the following local arteries: (Michigan Street/West 1st Street/East 2nd Street/East 3rd Street/East Superior Street.) The former northern terminus for Highway 23 during this time period was at Minnesota Highway 61 and 60th Avenue East in Duluth.

In 1997, the official northern terminus of Highway 23 changed to its junction with I-35 at Grand Avenue in Duluth.

The four-lane Highway 71/23 bypass of Willmar was proposed in the 1960s. However a financial crisis in the early 1980s led to the northbound lanes being unpaved, and the bypass had been scaled down to a two-lane facility by the time it opened in 1985. Construction in 2001 completed the bypass to its original four-lane design.[3][4]

The Highway 23 expressway from Spicer to New London, and the expressway from Richmond to Waite Park (St. Cloud), were both completed by 2005.

A four-lane bypass of Highway 23 around Paynesville is scheduled to be constructed in 2009.

[edit] Major Intersections

County Location Mile Roads intersected Notes
Rock W of Beaver Creek 0.030-0.068 I-90 Interchange; west end of TH 23. Manley, Minnesota is located 1 mile to the south of the southern edge of the highway.
Pipestone Jasper 17.444 TH 269 East end of TH 269
Pipestone 28.436 TH 30 west West end of TH 30 overlap
28.689 US 75 south / TH 30 east East end of TH 30 overlap; south end of US 75 overlap
29.311 US 75 north North end of US 75 overlap
Lyon Florence 51.209 US 14 US 14 crosses bridge over railroad and TH 23. Road just to the north connects the highways.
Russell 58.076 TH 91 North end of TH 91
Marshall 72.306 US 59
73.684-73.693 TH 19 / TH 68
Yellow Medicine S of Granite Falls 99.540 TH 274 North end of TH 274
Granite Falls 101.707 TH 67 east South end of TH 67 overlap
101.920 US 212 west / TH 67 west West end of US 212 overlap; north end of TH 67 overlap
E of Granite Falls 105.141 US 212 east East end of US 212 overlap
Chippewa Clara City 118.638-118.650 TH 7
Kandiyohi SW of Willmar 135.054 Kandiyohi CSAH 5 An interchange is planned for this intersection during the 2008-2014 time frame
Willmar 138.054-138.072 US 71 south / Business 71 Interchange; south end of US 71 overlap; access into Willmar via Business 71 (city road)
US 71 mile 122.651-122.840 Lakeland Drive Interchange; southbound exit and southbound entrance
US 71 mile 123.118 Kandiyohi CSAH 23 (Willmar Avenue) Interchange; northbound exit and northbound entrance
US 71 mile 124.283-124.294 US 12 Interchange
US 71 mile 125.517-12.577 Civic Center Drive Interchange
US 71 mile 126.565 TH 294 / Business 71 Interchange: southbound exit and northbound entrance; north end of TH 294 (note that TH 294 is only a short stub, and turns in a city road (Business 71) about 1/2 mile south of this interchange at CSAH 24)
N of Willmar 145.849 US 71 north Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance; north end of US 71 overlap
146.682 Kandiyohi CSAH 9 Interchange
New London 154.468 TH 9 East end of TH 9
Stearns Paynesville 167.291 TH 4 / TH 55
Richmond 179.598 TH 22 North end of TH 22
SW of Waite Park 193.934-193.997 I-94 Interchange
St. Cloud 198.914-198.920 TH 15 south / CSAH 75 east South end of TH 15 overlap; At this intersection CSAH 75 continues eastward, to remain on TH 23 requires going north on TH 15 for a two block overlap
199.171 TH 15 north / CSAH 75 west North end of TH 15 overlap; at this intersection CSAH 75 is to the west, and TH 23 continues to the east after a two block overlap of TH 15
201.313-201.349 9th Avenue Interchange
Benton 202.594-202.624 US 10 Interchange
E of St. Cloud 207.299 TH 95 West end of TH 95
Foley 215.703 TH 25
Mille Lacs Milaca 231.135-231.152 US 169 Interchange
Kanabec Ogilvie 242.189 TH 47 north West end of TH 47 overlap
243.256 TH 47 south East end of TH 47 overlap
S of Mora 249.334 TH 65 south South end of TH 65 overlap
Mora 250.964 TH 65 north North end of TH 65 overlap
Pine W of Brook Park 261.385 TH 107 North end of TH 107
S of Hinckley 268.513 I-35 south Interchange; south end of I-35 overlap
Hinckley I-35 mile 183.105 TH 48 West end of TH 48
Sandstone 280.028 I-35 north Interchange; north end of I-35 overlap
280.432 TH 123 South end of TH 123
N of Sandstone 283.828-283.878 I-35 Overpass over I-35
284.473 TH 18 East end of TH 18
284.923-284.961 I-35 Interchange
W of Askov 287.777 TH 123 North end of TH 123
St. Louis Duluth 330.729 TH 210 East end of TH 210
333.510 TH 39 West end of TH 39
339.805 I-35 Interchange; east end of TH 23

[edit] References

  1. ^ Minnesota Department of Transportation. Trunk Highway Log Point Files. Updated July 2006
  2. ^ Riner, Steve. Details of Routes 1-25. The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
  3. ^ Korsgaard, Kay. Willmar bypass opens. Mn/DOT Newsline. Retrieved on 2007-11-10.
  4. ^ Minnesota Department of Transportation - District 8 (2001-11-19). "Willmar Bypass Opens with Silver Ribbon Cutting". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-11-10.