Minnesota State Highway 280
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| Trunk Highway 280 |
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| Length: | 4 mi[1] (6 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1949[1] | ||||||||
| South end: |  I-94 in St. Paul |
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| North end: |  I-35W in Roseville |
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| Major cities: | St. Paul Lauderdale Roseville |
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Minnesota State Highway 280 is a north-south highway along the western edge of Ramsey County, Minnesota that is 4 miles (6.4 km) in length. The highway serves as a short connecting route between Interstate Highway 94 in St. Paul, Minnesota and Interstate Highway 35W in nearby Roseville, and is important because the junction between those two highways near downtown Minneapolis is not a complete interchange.
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[edit] Route
Highway 280 is built to full freeway standards from I-94 north to East Hennepin Avenue/West Larpenteur Avenue, although the entrance/exit ramps at Hennepin Avenue and Como Avenue are rather tight. Farther north, there are two signalized intersections at County Road B and Broadway Street Northeast. The MN-280/I-35W interchange is incomplete, so traffic from MN-280 north can't reach I-35W south without using surface streets, and the same is true for northbound I-35W traffic attempting to reach southbound MN-280.[2]
The junction between Interstate Highway 35E and I-94 in downtown St. Paul is also an incomplete interchange. Ayd Mill Road has a similar function to Highway 280, though it is not built to freeway standards and lacks a direct connection to I-94.
The highway passes through the small city of Lauderdale on its way between St. Paul and Roseville. Highway 280 is largely built against a slope, so it provides a good view of Minneapolis to the west (particularly for southbound vehicles).
[edit] History
Originally, Highway 280 was proposed to turn westward south of the I-94 junction and continue into Minneapolis, as a freeway running roughly along 28th Street. This would have continued westward to about France Avenue South. This freeway was never built, and the ramp stubs at the I-94/MN-280 junction were removed in the early 1980s.
[edit] Highway 280 as detour route for I-35W
Because of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge Collapse on August 1, 2007, Highway 280 has been designated by Mn/DOT as the official detour route for I-35W, being converted temporarily to a full freeway by closing the County Road B, Broadway, Walnut, and Roselawn intersections.[3]
[edit] Exit list
The entire route is in Ramsey County.
| Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|
| I-94 |
Southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| University Avenue, Territorial Road | |
| Kasota Avenue, Energy Park Drive | |
| Como Avenue | |
| Larpenteur Avenue, Hennepin Avenue | |
| Terminal Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
 I-35W east / TH 36 |
Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Riner, Steve. Details of Routes 219-287. The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Retrieved on 2006-04-06.
- ^ Review of Freeway Planning at Downtown Minneapolis. Twin Cities Highways. Retrieved on 2006-04-06.
- ^ Solutions to help your commute. Star Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
