Minnesota State Highway 120

Trunk Highway 120 marker

Trunk Highway 120
Route information
Defined by MS § 161.115(48)
Maintained by Mn/DOT
Length: 7.233 mi[1] (11.640 km)
Existed: 1965 – present
Major junctions
South end: I-94 at Maplewood, Oakdale
  MN 5 at Maplewood , Oakdale
MN 36 at North St. Paul , Oakdale
I-694 at White Bear Lake , Mahtomedi
North end: MN 244 at White Bear Lake , Mahtomedi
Location
Counties: Ramsey, Washington
Highway system
  • Minnesota Trunk Highways
MN 119MN 121

Minnesota State Highway 120 (MN 120) is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate Highway 94 in Maplewood (near Landfall) and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 244 and Ramsey County Road 15 at the White Bear Lake / Mahtomedi boundary line. The route is 8 miles (13 km) in length.

Highway 120 is also known as Century Avenue, Geneva Avenue, and Division Street at various points throughout its route.

The route runs along the county line for Washington and Ramsey counties for most of its length.

Route description

Highway 120 serves as a northsouth route between the communities of Maplewood, Oakdale, North St. Paul, White Bear Lake, and Mahtomedi.

The Gateway Bicycle Trail crosses Highway 120 near Highway 36 at the North St. Paul / Oakdale boundary line.

Highway 120 mostly parallels I-694 throughout its route. Highway 120 also has an interchange with I-694 at the White Bear Lake / Mahtomedi boundary line.

The route is legally defined as Route 117 in the Minnesota Statutes.[2] It is not marked with this number.

History

The present day Highway 120 was established in 1965. Previously, this route was part of Highway 100 (hence the name Century Avenue) from 1934 to 1965.[3]

This route was originally part of the Highway 100 Beltway circling the entire Twin Cities during the 1940s and 1950s.[3]

Highway 120 was numbered as a derivative of Highway 100.[3]

The state began turning the route over to Washington and Ramsey counties in 2001.[4] The portion of the route south of I-94 has been removed, but the rest of the highway is still marked and the legal definition of its legislative route has not been changed.

At one time, Highway 120 had continued farther south. Before 2002, the route had continued south of I-94 on present day County 72 / County 25 (the Maplewood / Woodbury boundary line) until reaching Valley Creek Road in Woodbury. Highway 120 then briefly followed Valley Creek Road (present day County 16) eastbound until its interchange with I-494.[3]

Major intersections

The entire route follows the line between Ramsey and Washington counties.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Maplewood1.9903.203 County 25 / County 72
2.2083.553 I-94Interchange
MaplewoodOakdale line3.2025.153 County 34 (Minnehaha Avenue) west, County 10 (10th Street N.) east
4.0596.532 MN 5 west, County 6 east (Stillwater Road)South end of MN 5 overlap
Maplewood4.2056.767 County 31 (Maryland Avenue)
5.2148.391 County 30 (Larpenteur Avenue)
Oakdale5.5528.935 MN 5North end of MN 5 overlap
North St. Paul6.2139.999 County 25 (E. South Avenue)
North St. PaulOakdale line7.12011.459 MN 36
North St. Paul7.21811.616 County 23 (E. 17th Avenue / County Road C)
Maplewood7.94412.785CR 109 (Joy Road)
White Bear LakeOakdale line8.061–
8.195
12.973–
13.189
I-694Interchange
White Bear LakeMahtomedi line9.24014.870 County 15 (County Road E) west
County 27 / County 72 north
MN 244 (Wildwood Road) east
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

Route map: Bing

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Trunk Highway Log Point Listing - Construction District 5" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 20, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  2. "161.115, Additional Trunk Highways". Minnesota Statutes. Office of the Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota. 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Riner, Steve. "Details of routes 101-149". The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Self-published. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  4. "Chapter 213-S.F. No. 1769, Sec. 4". Minnesota Session Laws for 2001. Office of the Revisor of Statutes. May 29, 2001. Retrieved November 20, 2010.