I-494 Northwest Metro

Northwest Metro

This page covers I-494 from I-394/US 12 in Minnetonka to I-94/694 in Maple Grove. Total length of this section is approximately 8.5 miles.

Description

Another relatively old section of the I-494/694 beltway, this section was opened in the late-1960s. Although going through what is now a built-up part of Plymouth, this section of I-494 still feels rather rural in nature, although the traffic belies that feeling. A high-voltage power line parallels I-494 along much of this segment. This segment used to have some of the most spaced out interchanges along the I-494/694 beltway, with the original interchanges being at US 12, MN 55, Rockford Rd, and Bass Lake Rd. The Carlson Parkway interchange was added in the mid-1980s, and assisted in detours during construction of I-394. Later on, during the early-1990s, Hennepin County built an interchange at CSAH 6, which wound up being a combination of projects. Besides the interchange, there were improvements to nearby sections of CSAH 6, culvert and pavement replacement along I-494, and a 3rd lane each direction was added between Carlson Parkway and MN 55. That project plus a minor improvement under the Carlson Pkwy overpass has brought this stretch of I-494 to its present configuration.

Roadway Configuration

6 lanes between I-394 and MN 55
4 lanes north of MN 55

Average Daily Traffic Counts

Location	1980	1982	1984	1986	1988	1990	1992	1994
North of I-394/US 12	35,300	34,700	39,500	47,000	48,000	54,000	66,000	78,000
North of Carlson Pkwy	N/A	N/A	N/A	45,500	47,900	54,000	66,000	70,000
North of CSAH 6	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	72,000
North of MN 55	35,600	32,600	39,000	39,100	47,500	52,000	52,000	69,000
North of Rockford Rd	34,500	30,500	36,500	39,700	46,100	51,000	60,000	67,000
North of Bass Lake Rd	27,800	28,500	34,000	40,600	48,200	49,500	57,000	65,000
494 N to 94 W ramps	9,900	14,900	15,800	15,700	26,750	26,500	28,500	33,500

Location	1996	1998	2000	2002	2004	2006	10-yr '96-'06 Change
North of I-394/US 12	86,000	96,000	105,000	98,000	97,000	105,000	+22%
North of Carlson Pkwy	88,000	95,000	105,000	101,000	109,000	103,000	+17%
North of CSAH 6	82,000	88,000	94,000	92,000	93,000	91,000	+11%
North of MN 55	81,000	79,000	81,000	80,000	80,000	90,000	+11%
North of Rockford Rd	72,000	77,000	78,000	79,000	79,000	81,000	+13%
North of Bass Lake Rd	70,000	75,000	77,000	74,000	76,000	79,000	+13%
494 N to 94 W ramps	36,500	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Carlson Pkwy interchange opened after 1984.
CSAH 6 interchange opened after 1992.

Click HERE for the Exit List

Speed Limit

60 MPH throughout

History

Constructed between US 12 and MN 55 in 1966.
Constructed between MN 55 and I-94 in 1968 (temporary connection at I-94).
Permanent connection at I-94/Fish Lake Rd interchange in 1973.
Carlson Pkwy interchange constructed in 1984.
Widened to 6 lanes between Carlson Pkwy and MN 55, with a new interchange at CSAH 6, ca. 1992.
Temporary widening to provide 3 through lanes from south of I-394 to MN 55 completed in 2006.

Future Plans

Long range plans call for widening the whole segment, including replacing the temporary lanes between I-394 and MN 55 and reconstruction of the "Fish Lake Interchange" at I-94. Presently the timeframe for these improvements is somewhere between 2015 and 2023.
Previous versions of Plymouth's Comprehensive Plan included an interchange at Schmidt Lake Rd. I'm not sure if this is still listed in the city's plan or not.
A recent corridor study for MN 55 has identified a possible freeway-to-freeway interchange configuration at the I-494/MN 55 interchange. No funding has been secured for the project, however.

Froggie Suggests

Widen I-494 to 8 lanes between I-394 and MN 55.
Reconstruct the Carlson Pkwy and CSAH 6 interchanges into single-point interchanges (SPUIs).
Reconstruct the MN 55 interchange into some sort of freeway-to-freeway interchange.
Widen I-494 to 6 lanes between MN 55 and I-94/694.
Reconstruct the Rockford Rd/CSAH 9 and Bass Lake Rd/CSAH 10 interchanges into SPUIs.
Construct an interchange at Schmidt Lake Rd.
Reconstruct and improve the "Fish Lake Interchange" with I-94.

Links

Last updated 12 May, 2008