Minnesota State Highway 74

Trunk Highway 74
Route information
Defined by MS § 161.115(5)
Maintained by Mn/DOT
Length:	34.956 mi[1] (56.256 km)
Existed:	1933 – present
Major junctions
South end:	U.S. 52 / MN 30 at Chatfield
	I-90 near St. Charles U.S. 14 at St. Charles
North end:	U.S. 61 at Weaver
Location
Counties:	Fillmore, Olmsted, Winona, Wabasha
Highway system
Minnesota Trunk Highways Interstate • U.S. • State Inter-County • County roads • Legislative routes ← MN 73 US 75 →

Minnesota State Highway 74 is a highway in southeast Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with U.S. Highway 52 and State Highway 30 in Chatfield and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with U.S. Highway 61 at Weaver along the Mississippi River.

It is the only remaining road in the state highway system which is still partially unpaved.

Highway 74 is 35 miles (56 km) in length.

Route description

State Highway 74 serves as a north–south route in southeast Minnesota between Chatfield, St. Charles, Elba, and Weaver.

Highway 74 begins at its intersection with U.S. 52 and State Highway 30 in Chatfield and continues north through the small unincorporated communities of Troy and Saratoga. Highway 74 has a junction with Interstate 90 just south of St. Charles. In St. Charles, Highway 74 becomes Main Street, also known as Whitewater Avenue, until it joins U.S. Highway 14 briefly. Highway 74 runs concurrent west with Highway 14 for less than a mile. The route continues north again, passing through Whitewater State Park and the small town of Elba.

7 miles (11 km) of the route near the northern end, in what is known as the Weaver Bottoms, are unpaved gravel. Highway 74 ends at its junction with U.S. Highway 61 in Weaver.

The route is legally defined as Legislative Route 74 in the Minnesota Statutes.^[2]

History

Highway 74 was authorized in 1933. The south end of Highway 74 previously extended south of Chatfield to old U.S. Highway 16 at Spring Valley until 1974.^[3] As a result of this, the present day mile markers begin at mile 20. Highway 74 follows, in part, an old route which was one of the first public roads in the Minnesota Territory.

In 1953, the route was still gravel south of U.S. Highway 14. Highway 74 was paved by 1960,^[3] except for the northernmost 7 miles, which is still gravel in the present day.

Flood

The 2007 Midwest flooding caused much damage to Highway 74. On August 18th and 19th, 2007, the flooded Whitewater River destroyed bridges and washed out the roadway in several places. By 2008, repairs were complete.

Images

• 

  The southern terminus of State Highway 74 in Chatfield

• 

  At the northern end of the unpaved portion of Highway 74, near Weaver

• 

  Highway 74 during the 2007 flood

• 

  Aerial view of Highway 74 after the 2007 flood

Major intersections

County	Location	Mile[1]	Destinations	Notes
Fillmore	Chatfield	20.050	US 52 / MN 30	West end of MN 30 overlap
Olmsted	Elmira Township	24.201	MN 30	East end of MN 30 overlap
Winona	Saratoga Township	26.673	CR 6
	St. Charles Township	32.263	CR 35
		32.412-32.530	I-90	Interchange
	St. Charles	33.834	US 14	East end of US 14 overlap
		34.090	US 14	West end of US 14 overlap
	Elba Township	37.459	CR 22
		41.781	CR 39
	Elba	43.544	CR 26
	Beaver	48.288	CR 30
Wabasha	Weaver	55.393	US 61
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi      Concurrency terminus •      Closed/Former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Trunk Highway Log Point Listing - Construction District 6" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 23, 2010. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/logpoint/d6.pdf. Retrieved October 29, 2010. 
2. ^ "161.115, Additional Trunk Highways". Minnesota Statutes. Office of the Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota. 2010. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=161.115. Retrieved October 29, 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Riner, Steve. "Details of routes 51-75". The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. http://www.steve-riner.com/mnhighways/r51-75.htm#74. Retrieved October 29, 2010. ^{[unreliable source]}