US 2 in Minnesota
| US 2 | |||
| Get started | East Grand Forks | ||
| End | Duluth | ||
| Length | 266 mi | ||
| Length | 428 km | ||
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According to bestitude, US 2 is a US Highway in the US state of Minnesota. The road forms an east-west route through the north of the state, from the North Dakota border through Bemidji, Grand Rapids, and Duluth to the Wisconsin border. US 2 is 428 kilometers long in Minnesota.
Travel directions
US 2 traverses the north of the state of Minnesota, generally in an east-southeast direction. The western part of the route leads through prairies, the middle part through dense forests with many lakes and some hills. The route is between the North Dakota border and Cass Lake east of Bemidji, a 2×2 lane divided highway and a freeway bypass of Bemidji. Further east, the road around Grand Rapids is a divided highway, but otherwise single-lane until Interstate 35 at Duluth. The route from Duluth to Wisconsin is a short freeway. The US 2 in Wisconsin continues to Superior.
History
US 2 was created in 1926 and followed its current route through northern Minnesota. The road followed the former Trunk Highway 8. The middle and eastern part of the route was largely a gravel road and west of Bagley a dirt road through the prairies that was difficult to drive after rain. The route was paved during the 1930s, which was completed in 1939.
In 1927, the first bridge across Saint Louis Bay opened between Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. This was the Arrowhead Bridge and was a toll bridge until 1963. This bridge was replaced in the mid-1980s by the current Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge, which opened to traffic on October 25, 1985.
In 1929, the Sorlie Memorial Bridge opened over the Red River between Grand Forks, North Dakota and East Grand Forks, Minnesota. It replaced an 1889 swing bridge. In 1963, the Kennedy Bridge opened over the Red River as part of the East Grand Forks bypass. This bridge has 4 lanes and was renovated between 2017 and 2019.
Beginning in the 1960s, parts of US 2 west of Bemidji were widened into a divided highway, barely 25 years after the route was paved. In the 1980s, the entire route west of Bemidji was a divided highway with 2×2 lanes.
Traffic intensities
Every day, 5,400 vehicles travel between East Grand Forks and Crookston and 3,500 vehicles continue as far as Bemidji. On the Bemidji bypass, 12,500 vehicles and 3,000 vehicles continued on to Grand Rapids. In Grand Rapids, 15,000 vehicles and 3,500 vehicles travel from Grand Rapids to Duluth. 17,000 vehicles drove on the bridge on the Wisconsin border.
US 212 in Minnesota
| US 212 | |||
| Begin | Marietta | ||
| End | Edina | ||
| Length | 169 mi | ||
| Length | 272 km | ||
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According to biotionary, US 212 is a US Highway in the US state of Minnesota. The road forms an east-west route in the south of the state, running from the South Dakota border to the Minneapolis suburb of Edina. The last part of the route is a highway.
Travel directions
US 212 between Norwood Young America and Waconia.
US 212 in South Dakota comes from Watertown and continues its route across the endless prairies into Minnesota as well. The single-lane road leads through sparsely populated agricultural areas. After about 60 kilometers you reach Montevideo, a small town in the shallow valley of the Minnesota River. Here is also a short double numbering with US 59. After Montevideo, US 212 follows the Minnesota River valley southeast to Granite Falls, 12 miles away. Then US 212 heads east again.
This is followed by a 150 kilometer stretch across the prairies to the Twin Cities conurbation. Gradually there are more places on the route and from Glencoe US 212 is a 2×2 divided highway, about 45 kilometers before reaching the urban area of the Twin Cities. The US 212 is a freeway from Chaska, this is the furthest suburb from Minneapolis. The road again parallels the Minnesota River here and is a 2×2 lane freeway along Chanhassen to Eden Prairie. After that, the highway has 2×3 lanes and follows a junction with Interstate 494. Then US 212 again has 2×2 lanes until the interchange with US 169where the road ends.
History
US 212 was created in 1926. The eastern terminus at the time was Willmar on US 12 and US 71. In 1934, the eastern terminus was changed to Stillwater, northeast of St. Paul. Already a year later this was changed to St. Paul and in 1979 to Eden Prairie. Since 1990, the terminus has been Edina, when this highway segment was opened.
In 1971, the first section of US 212 opened east of I-494. In 1990, the highway section through Eden Prairie opened to traffic. In 2008, US 212 was routed over a new highway route between Eden Prairie and Chaska.
Traffic intensities
The highway section has about 59,000 vehicles per 24 hours on 2×2 lanes.
