Interstate 35E (Minnesota)

Infobox road
state=MN
type=I
route=35E
section=390


length_mi=39.340
length_round=3
length_ref=Minnesota Department of Transportation, [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/thlogpoint.html Trunk Highway Log Point] files, updated July 2006]
maint=Mn/DOT
established=
direction_a=South
terminus_a=jct|state=MN|I|35|I|35W in Burnsville
junction=jct|state=MN|I|494 in Mendota Heights
jct|state=MN|I|94 in Saint Paul
jct|state=MN|I|694 in Little Canada
direction_b=North
terminus_b=jct|state=MN|I|35|I|35W in Columbus
previous_type=I
previous_route=35
next_type=I
next_route=35W

Interstate 35E (I-35E) is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Minnesota, passing through downtown Saint Paul. It is one of two through routes for Interstate 35 through the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the other being Interstate 35W through Minneapolis. Thus, both ends of I-35E are shared with I-35W and I-35. This is one of two pairs of suffixed Interstates that has not been eliminated; I-35 also splits into I-35E and I-35W in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.

In Minnesota, I-35E continues the exit numbers of I-35, while those of I-35W begin with 1 just north of the split. I-35E also carries the legislative route of I-35 - Route 390 - through the Twin Cities. On the other hand, the portion of I-35E through the West End of Saint Paul is a controversial four-lane parkway that heavy trucks are prohibited from using.

Route description

The south end of I-35E is at exit 88A in Burnsville, where I-35 splits into I-35E and I-35W. While I-35W heads north into Minneapolis, I-35E takes a northeasterly path into Saint Paul. There is no access between I-35E and I-35W here, but County Road 42 (exit 88B), immediately to the north, connects the two Interstates. Major interchanges south of Saint Paul include Highway 77 (exit 92) and Interstate 494 (exit 99). Between exits 94 and 97, the highway deviates from its relatively straight path to avoid Blackhawk Lake. As it crosses I-494, it turns more to the north, crossing Highway 110 (exit 101) and Highway 13 (exit 102) in Mendota Heights before crossing the Mississippi River on the Lexington Bridge into Saint Paul. This portion is four lanes wide (two in each direction), except between Highway 77 and Highway 110, where it carries six lanes. The Lexington Bridge carries six lanes - four through lanes and the exit and entrance lanes for Highway 13 - as well as a bicycle and pedestrian path.Google Maps, street maps and satellite imagery, accessed August 13, 2007] The bridge has an innovative automatic anti-icing system that sprays potassium acetate onto the bridge surface to prevent frost and ice formation in inclement weather.

The auxiliary lanes from Highway 13 leave at the first exit in Saint Paul, a half interchange with Shepard Road (exit 103A) with ramps toward the bridge. Shepard Road is a four-lane road with minimal intersections that follows the Mississippi River northeast into downtown Saint Paul. Immediately after Shepard Road is Highway 5 (West 7th Street) (exit 103B), which leads northeast to downtown through the heart of the West End. The portion of I-35E between Highway 5 and downtown is a mostly sunken four-lane parkway with a speed limit of 45 miles per hour (70 km/h), a ban on trucks over 9000 lbs (4000 kg) gross vehicle weight, and median landscaping. This parkway was built instead of a typical six-lane freeway because of local opposition. Major interchanges on this section include Ayd Mill Road (exit 104B), a sunken four-lane road to the northwest, and Kellogg Boulevard (exit 106B), which extends in both directions as part of a loop around downtown.

The four lanes of I-35E pass through downtown in the center of the six lanes of I-94, with a short commons occupying the blocks between 11th and 12th Streets. Despite this short overlap, there is no weaving between the two highways, since an exit in each direction of I-35E - exit 107A from I-35E north to I-94 east, and exit 107B from I-35E south to I-94 west - takes traffic that would move to the right in the commons instead to the right of the entire roadway. There are no interchanges on the commons, and no direct access from I-35E northbound to I-94 west or I-94 eastbound to I-35E south. Kellogg Boulevard provides an indirect connection; Ayd Mill Road, further west, nears I-94 but does not connect without several turns and traffic lights. Unlike the west split of I-35E and I-94, all ramps are present at the east split; among other uses, the I-35E southbound to I-94 east and I-94 westbound to I-35E north ramps carry traffic following U.S. Highway 10, which overlaps I-35E north of downtown, and truck traffic using the Lafayette Freeway (U.S. Highway 52) to avoid the parkway through the West End.

From downtown Saint Paul north to the junction with Interstate 694 west (exit 113), where US 10 also leaves I-35E, the highway carries three lanes of traffic in each direction. Major interchanges here include Pennsylvania Avenue (exit 108), another part of the loop that includes Kellogg Boulevard, and Highway 36 (exit 111). A commons of about one mile (1.5 km) exists between the two interchanges with I-694 (exits 113 and 115); unlike the one with I-94, traffic must weave to remain on either road. Heading northbound on I-35E, the three lanes split into two for I-694 westbound and two for I-35E northbound, and then one lane from I-694 eastbound enters on the left. These three lanes then split into two on the right for I-694 eastbound and two on the left for I-35E northbound; after the turn north, a lane joins on the right from I-694 westbound traffic. Thus through traffic on I-694 eastbound must move right at least one lane, and only the center lane of I-35E north continues through. The configuration in the other direction, where I-35E southbound and I-694 westbound merge, is similar, but two lanes of I-694 westbound enter the merge, and the rightmost of the two I-35E lanes ends, so all I-35E south traffic must move at least one lane to the left, while the right lane of I-694 west can continue straight through. A construction project, called "Unweave the Weave", is in progress to eliminate this weaving in a similar method to the I-94 commons, with three I-35E lanes inside three I-694 lanes, and separate right-side ramps from I-35E to I-694.Minnesota Department of Transportation, [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/unweave/ Unweave the Weave: Reconstruction of the I-35E and I-694 Interchange] , accessed August 13, 2007] Completion is planned for late 2008. [Seung Min Kim, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Smooth Sailing... So Far, August 5, 2006, p. A1]

I-35E is four lanes wide north of I-694; the third lane added northbound from the I-694 westbound ramp exits immediately onto County Road E (exit 115). Other than the north end of I-35E (exit 127) in Columbus, where it merges with I-35W to re-form I-35, there are only four interchanges north of I-694, all for county roads, though one - County Road 96 - was formerly part of Trunk Highway 96.

History

Early plans for the Interstate Highway System include a route along roughly the same alignment as the present I-35 through the Twin Cities area, but are not detailed enough to show exactly how the cities would be served. [Bureau of Public Roads, along I-35.

I-35E was completed north of downtown Saint Paul in 1970. The first section of to open ran north from Maryland Avenue to I-694; this was completed in the early 1960s, concurrently with I-694 west to TH 49. [Minnesota Department of Transportation Construction Project Log Records, Control Section [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/data/counties/county62/6285.pdf 6285] (I-694 west of I-35E)] Later that decade, it was extended south to downtown, opening first to Pennsylvania Avenue and then to I-94, including the I-94 overlap (and I-94 in both directions [Minnesota Department of Transportation Construction Project Log Records, Control Sections [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/data/counties/county62/6282.pdf 6282] (I-94 west of I-35E) and [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/data/counties/county62/6282.pdf 6283] (I-94 east of I-35E)] ). In 1970, I-35E was extended north along the I-694 overlap and to its north end; the adjacent sections of I-35, I-35W, and I-694 opened at about the same time. [Minnesota Department of Transportation Construction Project Log Records, Control Sections [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/data/counties/county02/0280.pdf 0280] (I-35W south of I-35E), [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/data/counties/county02/0283.pdf 0283] (I-35 north of I-35E), and [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/data/counties/county62/6282.pdf 6286] (I-694 east of I-35E)] Minnesota Department of Transportation Construction Project Log Records, Control Sections [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/data/counties/county19/1982.pdf 1982] , [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/data/counties/county19/6280.pdf 6280] , [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/data/counties/county19/6281.pdf 6281] , and [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/data/counties/county19/0282.pdf 0282] (I-35E from south to north)]

The southern half of I-35E took a lot longer to build. Its first section - a short stretch from Highway 110 north to Highway 5, including the Lexington Bridge over the Mississippi River - opened in the mid-1960s. [Minnesota Department of Transportation Construction Project Log Records, Control Sections [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/data/counties/county19/1980.pdf 1980] (I-35 south of I-35E) and [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/data/counties/county19/1981.pdf 1981] (I-35W north of I-35E)] Even though the connecting piece of I-35W and I-35 at the south end of I-35E opened in the mid-1960s, it was not until the early-to-mid 1980s that I-35E was completed south of Highway 110. Construction was delayed by opposition from nearby residents in Burnsville and from environmentalists over the proposed alignment across Blackhawk Lake. The final plan involved a new alignment avoiding the lake, as well as a less complicated interchange at I-494, eliminating access to Highway 55 that was part of the earlier plans.Del Gerdes, Minnesota Department of Transportation, [http://www.dot.state.mn.us/interstate50/memories_del-gerdes.html Interstate Memories: My Recollections of Interstate Work in District 9] ]

Controversy through the West End of Saint Paul

The missing piece through the West End of Saint Paul, from Highway 5 northeast to I-94 in downtown, was held up by controversy. Construction began in 1964, and was planned for completion in the 1970s as a typical six-lane freeway, but the National Environmental Policy Act was passed on January 1, 1970. In late 1969, a group of neighbors in the area had formed Residents in Protest 35E (RIP 35E) to oppose the completion of I-35E. The group convinced the city to drop its support, and in August it filed a joint lawsuit against the Minnesota Highway Department (MHD) and U.S. Department of Transportation along with four neighborhood associations and eight citizens. The parties quickly reached an agreement, favorable to the plaintiffs, to halt construction pending an environmental impact statement (EIS).Patricia Cavanaugh, [http://www.cura.umn.edu/publications/Freeways.pdf Politics and Freeways: Building the Twin Cities Interstate System] (Publication No. CURA 06-01), University of Minnesota Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and Center for Transportation Studies, October 2006]

The Saint Paul City Council decided in late 1974 to support I-35E, possibly due to the influence of proponents. RIP 35E proposed an alternative to the original plan, and convinced the city council to go along with it. The plan included a four-lane boulevard upgrade of Pleasant Avenue (the street chosen for the I-35E alignment), with another route such as Shepard Road or the Lafayette Freeway forming part of I-35E. The group opposed any direct connection of this parkway to I-94 near the State Capitol, where I-35E and I-94 were to merge. The EIS was completed in early 1975, identifying noise pollution, air pollution, vibrations, and slope stability as the main concerns. In addition to the nearby location of historic districts, hospitals were worried about the effects of vibrations on sensitive operations; the MHD solved this problem while the report was being developed. The EIS identified the primary benefit of completing I-35E as connecting downtown Saint Paul to the Interstate Highway System, and determined that the original Pleasant Avenue corridor was the best choice, but with minor changes such as lowering the freeway below Grand Avenue and Ramsey Street.

A bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature on May 31, 1975 imposed a moratorium on building I-35E, as well as other area freeways such as Interstate 335 and Highway 55 (Hiawatha Avenue). This law defined several new legislative routes, which "may be added by order of the commissioner of transportation to the trunk highway system" (as opposed to other such routes, which were added to that system by the legislature):

Route No. 380. Beginning at a point on Route No. 390 [I-35E] at its intersection with Shepard Road in the city of Saint Paul; thence extending in a northeasterly direction generally following along the course of Shepard Road to a point on Route No. 112 [Lafayette Freeway] ; thence extending in a northeasterly direction to a point on Route No. 392 [I-94] easterly of the downtown area of Saint Paul; providing a connector route between Route No. 390 and Routes No. 112 and 392;

Route No. 381. Beginning at a point on Route No. 112 [Lafayette Freeway] , northerly of the Lafayette Street bridge in the city of Saint Paul; thence extending in a northwesterly direction to a point on Route No. 390 [I-35E] , southerly of Maryland Avenue in the city of Saint Paul; providing a connector route between Route No. 112 and Route No. 390; and

Route No. 382. Beginning at a point on Route No. 390 [I-35E] at its junction with Route No. 111 [Highway 5] , thence extending in a general northerly direction, within the corridor of the right of way already acquired on the effective date of this act, for Route No. 390, to a point on Short Line Road; thence extending in a northeasterly direction within said corridor of right of way to the intersection of Pleasant Avenue and Kellogg Boulevard in the city of Saint Paul.

facility" that the MHD could build along the original alignment of I-35E, but without a connection to I-94. The city announced its support of the parkway in August 1976.

An act passed on April 5, 1978 added a condition to the definition of Route 390 (I-35E):

Route No. 390 [I-35E] shall not include any portion of Route No. 382 [the parkway] as designated by section 161.117 or any portion of any route connecting Route No. 382 to Route No. 392 [I-94] , nor shall it include any portion of trunk highway marked No. 3 from trunk highway marked No. 110 in Dakota county to East Seventh Street in the city of Saint Paul.

At the time, Highway 3 was marked along the Lafayette Freeway. [Rand McNally, Gulf Tourgide, 1977]

It also allowed a connection from the parkway to I-94, but this link could not be controlled access. The Metropolitan Council was to complete a draft EIS for the parkway and I-35E by September 1, 1979, with the cooperation of Mn/DOT and Saint Paul. There was widespread support for a 45 mile-per-hour parkway, with landscaping and a truck restriction, but the non-connection to I-94 jeopardized federal Interstate funding, since it could no longer be part of the continuous I-35E. Two notable alternatives came out of the draft EIS - a parkway with or without an I-94 connection. The parkway with a connection would provide the same level of service as a typical freeway.

RIP 35E and other citizens' groups continued to oppose a direct connection, arguing that it would be no different from a typical freeway, since drivers would be more likely to exceed the speed limit if it was a continuous roadway to I-94. Saint Paul changed its mind again in September 1981, supporting a direct connection, along with Mn/DOT and the Metropolitan Council. A bill passed in March 1982 removed the stipulation that the parkway shall not connect to I-94, and allowed Route 390 (I-35E) to use Route 382 (the parkway). The final EIS was approved at about that time, and several groups including RIP 35E filed suit in early 1983.

The suit alleged that the EIS focused almost exclusively on the Pleasant Avenue alignment, and that it did not consider the effect of a direct connection on speed limit compliance; faster traffic would mean more noise. Judge Paul Magnuson ruled in February 1984 that the EIS was valid, stating that the Pleasant Avenue alternative was the only reasonable one that would meet goals. This court order has been interpreted as a legal contract, prohibiting the state from raising the speed limit or allowing trucks. Construction went forward, and I-35E was opened from Highway 5 north to Saint Clair Avenue in 1984, using original bridges that had been built for three lanes in each direction. Further extensions, including all new bridges, were opened to Grand Avenue in 1986, to Kellogg Boulevard in November 1988, [Don Boxmeyer, St. Paul Pioneer Press, New Urban Time Warp Makes Downtown Go by in a Flash of Parkway, October 7, 1990, p. 7A] and to I-94 on October 15, 1990, 26 years after construction began. The opening ceremony was attended by a group of highway experts from the Soviet Union, and both the U.S. and Soviet national anthems were played. [Sean T. Kelly, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Last Mile of I-35E Opens in St. Paul After 19-Year Wait, October 16, 1990, p. 1B]

Later changes

The original plans for the I-94 commons in downtown Saint Paul did not include the right-side ramps that eliminate weaving. [Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board, [http://www.caapb.state.mn.us/history/H3-CAAPB_Commission.htm "map of the Capitol Area with the grounds as they appear today"] (shows roads pre-I-35E completion), accessed August 13, 2007] The ramp from I-35E northbound to I-94 eastbound was added when I-35E was finally completed in 1990, and a five-year construction project that was completed in 1992 added the ramp from I-35E southbound to I-94 westbound, as well as a direct ramp from I-35E southbound to the Lafayette Freeway to avoid weaving across I-94 east. [Don Ahern, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Freeway Travel will Fray Nerves, May 7, 1989, p. 1A] [Don Ahern, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Jumbled Junction Takes a New Turn, October 26, 1992, p. 1A] This project was done because the old "Spaghetti Junction" at the east split of I-35E and I-94 would not be able to handle the extra load from the completed I-35E parkway. [Sean Kelly, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 35E Parkway Work Inching Closer, July 5, 1988]

When the first piece of the parkway opened in 1984, unused provisions, pending more study, were added for a direct link to Ayd Mill Road, a sunken four-lane road with minimal intersections that leads northwest from I-35E. The ramps were built and temporarily opened in 1992 for high-occupancy vehicles, due to the closure of the Lafayette Bridge for reconstruction. [City of Saint Paul, Minnesota Department of Public Works, [http://www.stpaul.gov/depts/publicworks/aydmillroad/aydsummary.html#2.0 Ayd Mill Road Draft Environmental Impact Statement Executive Summary: 2.0 Background] , February 1999] [Don Ahern, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Council Approves Ayd Mill Link with I-35E for This Summer, March 20, 1992, p. 1D] The ramps were reopened on June 12, 2002 as a test, [City of Saint Paul, [http://www.stpaul.gov/depts/publicworks/aydmillroad/aydformltr.html Mayor's Ayd Mill Road form letter] , July 16, 2002] and remain open as of 2007. A controversial extension of Ayd Mill Road to I-94 remains on the table. [Snelling Hamline Community Council, [http://www.snellham.org/aydmillrd.html Ayd Mill Road] , accessed August 13, 2007] [City of Saint Paul, Minnesota Department of Public Works, [http://www.stpaul.gov/depts/publicworks/aydmillroad/ Ayd Mill Road test] , accessed August 13, 2007]

The 1964 Lexington Bridge across the Mississippi River was replaced by a new bridge, built from 2001 to 2004, [St. Paul Pioneer Press, Jackhammer Alert, August 30, 2004, p. B2] due to deterioration of the old structure including cracks in steel beams. [Pat Doyle, Star Tribune, A bridge too far gone?, May 26, 2001] Unweave the Weave, a project to eliminate weaving at the I-694 commons, is ongoing as of 2007.

The 1965 bridge just north of downtown Saint Paul carrying a daily traffic volume of 148,000 vehicles over Cayuga Street and the BNSF Railway line was rated by Mn/DOT as meeting minimum tolerable limits in 2006. Its superstructure and substructure were described as poor with advanced section loss, deterioration, spalling, or scour. [cite web| title =Two Bridges, Bad and Worse| publisher =Mn/DOT| url =http://media.startribune.com/smedia/2007/08/11/15/1Worstbridges0812.source.prod_affiliate.2.swf| accessdate = 2007-08-24] As the fourth busiest bridge in the state, [cite web| title = 2006 Metro Area Traffic Volume Index Map| publisher =Mn/DOT| date = 2006| url = http://www.dot.state.mn.us/traffic/data/maps/indexmaps/2006/metroindex.pdf| format =pdf| accessdate =2007–08–09 This is the index map for Mn/DOT's 2006 traffic volumes. The relevant maps showing the highest river bridge traffic volumes are Maps 2E, 3E, and 3F.] it was scrutinized following the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in 2007.

Exit list

Exit numbers and mileposts increase numerically from the south end, continuing the numbers used on I-35.

References