Northwest
Metro Fringe
This page covers I-94 from
MN 25 in Monticello to I-494/694 in Maple Grove. Total length
of this section is approximately 23.5 miles.
Description
This section of I-94 serves
traffic between the Dakotas, St. Cloud, and the Twin Cities area,
as well as connecting to the bedroom communities in northern
Wright County. It also carries very heavy seasonal tourist
traffic, mostly in the form of vacationers heading to the
northern Minnesota lakes. This traffic stream is most
pronounced outbound on Friday evenings and inbound on Sunday
afternoons, although commuter traffic itself is starting to become very
noticeable. The westbound lane drop at MN 101 has recently become a major
bottleneck.
Roadway
Configuration
-
4 lanes west of MN 101
-
6 lanes east of MN 101
Average Daily Traffic Counts
| Location |
1980 |
1982 |
1984 |
1986 |
1988 |
1990 |
1992 |
1994 |
| E of Wright CSAH 37 |
18,300 |
19,900 |
22,400 |
24,100 |
N/A |
34,000 |
37,000 |
43,000 |
| E of MN 241 |
21,500 |
22,000 |
25,200 |
27,500 |
32,100 |
36,500 |
39,000 |
45,000 |
| E of MN 101 |
26,700 |
28,000 |
33,500 |
36,500 |
41,800 |
46,500 |
50,000 |
55,000 |
| E of 93rd Ave N |
27,800 |
30,500 |
35,200 |
38,800 |
50,500 |
55,000 |
62,000 |
67,000 |
| E of Weaver Lake Rd |
29,500 |
37,800 |
43,800 |
48,000 |
64,000 |
68,000 |
74,000 |
80,000 |
| Between I-494 S ramps |
19,600 |
22,900 |
27,950 |
32,300 |
37,250 |
41,500 |
45,500 |
46,500 |
| Location |
1996 |
1998 |
2000 |
2002 |
2004 |
2006 |
10-yr
'96-'06
Change |
| E of MN 25 |
36,900 |
40,400 |
48,000 |
45,400 |
51,000 |
56,000 |
+52% |
| E of Wright CSAH 75 |
38,000 |
44,000 |
50,000 |
51,700 |
57,000 |
62,000 |
+63% |
| E of Wright CSAH 19 |
29,600 |
38,000 |
45,200 |
48,100 |
55,000 |
58,000 |
+96% |
| E of Wright CSAH 37 |
43,000 |
46,500 |
50,000 |
52,000 |
64,000 |
66,000 |
+53% |
| E of MN 241 |
49,000 |
51,000 |
60,000 |
61,000 |
73,000 |
73,000 |
+49% |
| E of MN 101 |
60,000 |
69,000 |
77,000 |
79,000 |
89,000 |
93,000 |
+55% |
| E of 93rd Ave N |
72,000 |
83,000 |
91,000 |
92,000 |
95,000 |
115,000 |
+60% |
| E of Weaver Lake Rd |
85,000 |
97,000 |
105,000 |
100,000 |
104,000 |
114,000 |
+34% |
| Between I-494 S ramps |
48,500 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Traffic volumes west of Wright CSAH 37 are unavailable for prior to 1996.
Click
HERE for the Exit
List (on Matt Salek's site)
Speed Limit
- 70 MPH west of Weaver Lake Rd
- 60 MPH east of Weaver Lake Rd
History
- Segment opened in 1973.
- "MnROAD" research facility constructed along westbound lanes east of
Monticello in the 1990s.
- Weaver Lake Rd interchange reconstructed in the late 1990s to include a
WB WLR to EB 94 loop.
- MN 25 interchange reconstructed in the early 2000s to include a SB 25 to
EB 94 loop.
- A new interchange at Wright CSAH 18 in Monticello was completed in 2006,
replacing the half-interchange at Wright CSAH 75.
- A new interchange at Dunkirk Ln was completed in 2007, replacing the
CSAH 30/95th Ave N interchange.
Future Plans
- Long-range plans call for completing MN 610 to I-94, with
a Hennepin County extension west of I-94. The
proposed I-94/MN 610 interchange will be a partial-directional/cloverleaf
with an EB 94 to EB 610 "flyover ramp".
- The City of Dayton is proposing an interchange in the vicinity of CSAH
101.
- MnDOT did a corridor study in the early 2000s which recommended 6 lanes
between MN 24 and MN 25, 8 lanes between MN 25 and MN 101, and 10 lanes
between MN 101 and I-494. The study also recommended local road
improvements to pull local trips off of I-94 as well as interchange
improvements. The main interchange improvement proposed is a
combination local access and freeway-to-freeway style interchange at MN 101, to tie into a proposed freeway upgrade of MN 101
between Rogers and Elk River. Funding constraints mean that only
6-lane widening between MN 25 and MN 101 is currently being pursued, and not
until the 2024-2030 timeframe.
- A more recent corridor study considered a new Mississippi River bridge
between Dayton and Ramsey and a related connector route between I-94 and US
10. This connector had a proposed interchange with I-94 in southwest
Dayton, roughly 1 mile northwest of the proposed I-94/MN 610 interchange.
The study is currently on hold due to opposition in Dayton, who would rather
have a new interchange on I-94 at CSAH 101.
- Although not being currently studied, improvements to the I-94/I-494
"Fish Lake Interchange" are identified in MnDOT's long range plan for the
2015-2023 timeframe.
Froggie Suggests
- Widen I-94 to 6 lanes from MN 15 near St. Cloud to the proposed I-94/US
10 "Interregional Connector" near Clearwater.
- Construct the proposed I-94/US 10 interregional connector near
Clearwater.
- Widen I-94 to 8 lanes from the proposed interregional connector to MN 101 in Rogers.
- Construct a new interchange at Wright CSAH 39 in Monticello.
- Rebuild the interchange at MN 101 to accommodate both local movements
and freeway-to-freeway movements to/from the north.
- Widen I-94 to 10 lanes between MN 101
and the proposed MN 610 freeway, with auxiliary lanes
as needed.
- Construct a new interchange just west of CSAH 101/Brockton Ln with a
connector road tying directly into CSAH 116 to the southwest and CSAH 13 to
the north.
- Expedite the proposed MN 610 interchange.
- Widen I-94 to 8 lanes between proposed MN 610 and I-494.
- Reconstruct and improve the I-494 "Fish Lake
Interchange".
Links
Last updated
12 May, 2008