Minnesota State Highway 65

Trunk Highway 65
Route information
Maintained by Mn/DOT
Length: 272.511 mi[2] (438.564 km)
Existed: 1934[1] – present
Major junctions
South end: CR 152 (Washington Ave.)
in Minneapolis
  MN 47 (University Ave.) at Minneapolis
I-694 at Fridley
U.S. 10 at Blaine
MN 95 at Cambridge
MN 23 at Mora
MN 210 at McGregor
U.S. 2 at Swan River
U.S. 169 near Pengilly, Nashwauk
North end: U.S. 71 near Littlefork
Location
Counties: Hennepin, Anoka, Isanti, Kanabec, Aitkin, Itasca, Koochiching
Highway system

Minnesota Trunk Highways
Interstate • U.S. • State
Inter-County • County roads • Legislative routes

← US 65 MN 66 →

Minnesota State Highway 65 is a highway in east-central and northeast Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with Washington Avenue (Hennepin County Road 152) at the north end of downtown Minneapolis and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with U.S. Highway 71 in Littlefork near International Falls.

Highway 65 is a four lane expressway between Interstate 694 in Fridley to just north of State Highway 95 at Cambridge.

The route continues as a two-lane road from Cambridge to its northern terminus at Littlefork in northern Minnesota.

State Highway 65 is 273 miles (439 km) in length.

Contents

Route description

State Highway 65 serves as a north–south route between Minneapolis, Fridley, Blaine, Cambridge, Mora, McGregor, Nashwauk, and Littlefork in east-central and northeast Minnesota.

The roadway is one of three Minnesota state marked highways to carry the same number as an existing U.S. marked highway within the state, the others being Highways 61 and 169.

State Highway 65 begins at the intersection of Washington Avenue (County 152) and 3rd Avenue South at the north end of downtown Minneapolis. Highway 65 is signed locally as 3rd Avenue South in downtown Minneapolis. 3rd Avenue South leads to the Third Avenue (Mississippi River) Bridge and becomes Central Avenue upon crossing the river. After its intersection with Hennepin Avenue, the route becomes Central Avenue NE. Highway 65 is signed locally as Central Avenue NE for this section. Many Minnesota landmarks are located on Central Avenue NE including the Aveda Institute, the Heights Theater, and the National Sports Center. The route remains Central Avenue until separating in Ham Lake, except for a split in Fridley and Spring Lake Park between I-694 and U.S. Highway 10.[3]

The route is a divided highway from Minneapolis to Cambridge, with a 60 MPH speed limit, increasing to 65 MPH speed limit beginning in Ham Lake, just outside of Blaine.

Savanna Portage State Park in Aitkin County is located 11 miles northeast of the junction of Highway 65 and County Road 14 in Shamrock Township near McGregor. The park entrance is located on County Road 14 in nearby Balsam Township.
Minnesota DNR website for Savanna Portage State Park - Link

History

State Highway 65 was authorized in 1934 and 1935. The route was numbered as an extension of old U.S. Highway 65.

By 1940, the route was paved from Minneapolis to just north of McGrath in Aitkin County. By 1949, the route was paved as far north as Libby. By 1953, the route was paved north to its intersection with U.S. Highway 2 at Swan River in Itasca County. Sections of Highway 65 north of U.S. 2 were paved in the 1960s and 1970s. The last section of Highway 65 paved was through the Nett Lake Indian Reservation in 2000.

The expressway section of Highway 65 between I-694 in Fridley to Spring Lake Park was constructed on a new alignment in 1953.

The Highway 65 expressway bypass in Cambridge was completed circa 1993.

A portion of State Highway 65 used to be part of old U.S. Highway 65. U.S. 65 still enters Minnesota from Iowa, but ends now in the city of Albert Lea, where it has a junction with Interstate 35. I-35 and I-35W roughly follow the same route old U.S. 65 used to take from Albert Lea to downtown Minneapolis. Before the freeways were built, the original U.S. 65 had followed Lyndale Avenue between Burnsville and Minneapolis.

In July 2005, a small section of State Highway 65 in downtown Minneapolis, between Washington Avenue and I-35W, was turned back to city maintenance. The southern terminus of State Highway 65 is now at the intersection of Washington Avenue and 3rd Avenue South in downtown Minneapolis. However the feeder ramp from I-35W north to downtown may again be considered MN-65 like it was in 2005, since the updated mileposts now label the MN-65 shield along this segment.

Major intersections

County Location Mile[4][5][2] Destinations Notes
Hennepin
 Minneapolis 1.394 CR 152 (Washington Avenue)  
Mississippi River
 1.537-1.895 Third Avenue Bridge
Hennepin
 Minneapolis - MN 47 (University Avenue)
3.058 CR 153 (Lowry Avenue) Old U.S. 8
Anoka
 Fridley 6.222-6.499 I-694 Interchange
Spring Lake Park 9.945-10.288 CR 10 Interchange, old U.S. 10
Blaine 10.955-11.154 US 10 Interchange
15.301-15.646 CR 14 Interchange, old MN 242 west
Isanti
 Isanti 35.936 CR 5 / Inter-County H  
Cambridge 41.283-41.931 MN 95  
Stanchfield Township 51.032-51.133 MN 107  
Kanabec
 Brunswick Township 58.851 MN 70  
Mora 63.334 MN 23 South end of MN 23 overlap
64.996 MN 23 North end of MN 23 overlap
Ford Township 81.783 MN 27 South end of MN 27 overlap
Aitkin
 Williams Township 88.854 MN 18  
Rice River Township 105.180 MN 27 North end of MN 27 overlap
McGregor 116.649 MN 210 East end of MN 210 overlap
117.850 MN 210 West end of MN 210 overlap
Shamrock Township 124.908 MN 232  
Jacobson 146.784 MN 200 South end of MN 200 overlap
147.178 MN 200 north end of MN 200 overlap
Itasca
 Swan River 153.704 US 2  
Greenway Township 172.574 US 169 South end of US 169 overlap
Lone Pine Township 175.243 US 169 North end of US 169 overlap
Carpenter Township 208.147 MN 1 West end of MN 1 overlap
212.168 MN 1 East end of MN 1 overlap
Koochiching
 Littlefork 270.020 MN 217  
East Koochiching 270.739 US 71  
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
     Concurrency terminus •      Closed/Former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

References

  1. ^ Riner, Steve. "Details of Routes 51-75". Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. http://www.steve-riner.com/mnhighways/r51-75.htm. Retrieved 2004-06-24. 
  2. ^ a b "Trunk Highway Log Point Listing - Construction District 1" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 20, 2010. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/logpoint/d1.pdf. Retrieved October 24, 2010. 
  3. ^ Froehlig, Adam. "Minnesota Highway 65". Minnesota State Highway Endings. http://www.ajfroggie.com/roadpics/mn-ends/mn065.htm. Retrieved 2004-04-03. 
  4. ^ "Trunk Highway Log Point Listing - Construction District 5" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 20, 2010. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/logpoint/metrolpt.pdf. Retrieved October 24, 2010. 
  5. ^ "Trunk Highway Log Point Listing - Construction District 3" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 23, 2010. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/logpoint/d3.pdf. Retrieved October 24, 2010.