Minnesota State Highway 280

Trunk Highway 280
Route information
Defined by MS § 161.115(211)
Maintained by Mn/DOT
Length:	3.710 mi[1] (5.971 km)
Existed:	1959 – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-94 in Saint Paul
North end:	I-35W in Roseville
Location
Counties:	Ramsey
Highway system
Minnesota Trunk Highways Interstate • U.S. • State Inter-County • County roads • Legislative routes ← MN 277 MN 282 →

Minnesota State Highway 280 is a highway in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate 94 in Saint Paul and continues north to its interchange with Interstate 35W in Roseville. The route is 4 miles (6.4 km) in length.

Highway 280 is an important connector route, as a result of the junction between Interstate 94 and Interstate 35W in nearby downtown Minneapolis not being a complete interchange.

Route description

Highway 280 serves as a north–south route along the western edge of Ramsey County, between the city of Saint Paul and suburban Roseville. The highway passes through the small city of Lauderdale on its way between Saint Paul and Roseville. Highway 280 is largely built against a slope, thus providing an excellent view of downtown Minneapolis to the west, particularly for southbound vehicles.

The route has a 50 MPH posted speed limit over its entire length.

Highway 280 is built to freeway standards from its interchange with Interstate 94 to its interchange with East Hennepin Avenue / Larpenteur Avenue, although the entrance / exit ramps at Como Avenue are rather tight. This section of the route has auxiliary lanes between University Avenue and the Kasota Avenue/Energy Park Drive exit. There is a signal-controlled intersection at Broadway Street NE on southbound Highway 280 only. The Highway 280 / Interstate 35W interchange in Roseville is incomplete, so traffic from Highway 280 northbound can not reach Interstate 35W southbound without using intersecting surface streets, and the same is true for northbound Interstate 35W traffic attempting to reach southbound Highway 280.^[2]

History

Highway 280 was authorized on July 1, 1949,^[3] but did not begin construction until 1955. It was completed between Highway 36 and Kasota Avenue in 1959^[4][5] and to University Avenue (at that time, highways 12, 52, 56, and 218) in 1961.^[6][7] The highway was linked to Interstate 94 in 1968 upon the freeway's completion between Minneapolis and St. Paul.^[8][9]

South of Como Avenue, Highway 280 was widened and ramps improved in the mid 1990s. The Larpenteur Avenue / East Hennepin Avenue interchange in Lauderdale was reconstructed in 2009 to eliminate the tight, no-acceleration lane ramps. The intersection at County Road B was also closed permanently in 2009, as was the unsignaled intersections at Roselawn Avenue and Walnut Street. With construction completed in December 2009, the signal at Broadway Street was modified to allow left turns from northbound Highway 280, thus maintaining a stoplight for southbound Highway 280 only, but Broadway Street traffic is now only able to turn right (south). Thus, Highway 280 is now, in a sense, a northbound freeway only with a single stoplight for southbound traffic.

The 2009 construction project also rehabilitated the concrete pavement between Interstate 94 and Territorial Road. The project also included replacement of the BNSF Railroad bridge located on Larpenteur Avenue to the west of Highway 280; placement of a new median on Highway 280 from south of Como Avenue to Larpenteur Avenue; and noisewalls were constructed along the east side of Highway 280.

Originally, Highway 280 was proposed in the 1960s to continue farther; turning westward, south of its Interstate 94 junction in Saint Paul; and then continue west into Minneapolis, as a freeway running roughly along 28th Street. This route would have continued westbound to about France Avenue South. This freeway was never built, and the ramp stubs at the Interstate 94 / Highway 280 junction in Saint Paul were removed in the early 1980s.

Highway 280 as detour route for I-35W

Because of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge Collapse in nearby Minneapolis on August 1, 2007, Highway 280 was designated by Mn/DOT as the official detour route for I-35W, resulting in Highway 280 being converted temporarily to a full freeway by closing the intersections at County Road B, Broadway Street, Walnut Street, and Roselawn Avenue. Despite the new replacement I-35W bridge opening September 18, 2008, many of the at-grade intersections on Highway 280 were not re-opened.^[10]

Plans for a permanent Highway 280 reconfiguration, per information provided by Mn/DOT officials at the open house meeting on October 21, 2008, involved the following:

• Closing access for County Road B on the east side of Highway 280, but keeping a right-in / right-out private entrance on the west side of Highway 280 for the business located there, Paper Calmenson.

• Closing Roselawn Avenue access completely.

• Closing Walnut Street access completely, except for emergency vehicles only.

• For Broadway Street, southbound traffic on Highway 280 will be allowed to make right-in/right-out turns. Traffic on Broadway Street will not be able to make a left turn to head northbound on Highway 280, however northbound traffic on Highway 280 will be allowed to make a left turn onto Broadway Street to enter the businesses on that side. This unique intersection will effectively make northbound Highway 280 a freeway while still making a stoplight at Broadway Street necessary for traffic heading southbound on Highway 280. Mn/DOT proposed making Highway 280 a complete freeway, but pressure from the businesses on the west side caused them to do the above mentioned configuration.

• The crosswalk at Broadway Street to cross Highway 280 will be removed.

Construction began in the Spring of 2009, along with the replacement for the Larpenteur Avenue / East Hennepin Avenue interchange along Highway 280. The construction project was completed in December 2009.

Exit list

The entire route is in Ramsey County.

Location	Mile[1]	Destinations	Notes
St. Paul	0.000	I-94
	0.000-0.794	CR 34 (University Avenue), Territorial Road
	1.176-1.231	Kasota Avenue, CR 32 (Energy Park Drive)
	1.771-1.858	Como Avenue
Lauderdale	2.193-2.428	CR 30 (Larpenteur Avenue), CR 52 (Hennepin Avenue)
	2.920	Broadway Street	Signalized at-grade intersection, no access from Broadway to northbound 280
Roseville		Terminal Road
	3.648-3.710	I-35W north / MN 36 east	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
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 5" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 20, 2010. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/logpoint/metrolpt.pdf. Retrieved January 23, 2010. 
2. ^ "Review of Freeway Planning at Downtown Minneapolis". Twin Cities Highways by Adam Froehlig - ajfroggie.com. http://www.ajfroggie.com/roads/minnesota/rant/1963fwy-review-mpls.htm. Retrieved April 6, 2006. 
3. ^ "Chapter 663-H.F. No. 1792", Session Laws of Minnesota for 1949 (Earl L. Berg, Commissioner of Administration): pp. 1177-1185 
4. ^ Minnesota Department of Highways (1959). 1959 Official Road Map of Minnesota (Map). Cartography by The H.M. Gousha Company. Metropolitan St. Paul-Minneapolis inset. http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/mdt&CISOPTR=1195&REC=18. Retrieved January 23, 2011. 
5. ^ Minnesota Department of Highways (1960) (Map). Metropolitan St. Paul-Minneapolis inset. http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/mdt&CISOPTR=1198&REC=19. Retrieved January 23, 2011. 
6. ^ Minnesota Department of Highways (1961). 1961 Official Road Map of Minnesota (Map). Cartography by The H.M. Gousha Company. Metropolitan St. Paul-Minneapolis inset. http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/mdt&CISOPTR=1201&REC=20. Retrieved January 23, 2011. 
7. ^ Minnesota Department of Highways (1962). 1962 Official Road Map of Minnesota (Map). Cartography by The H.M. Gousha Company. Metropolitan St. Paul-Minneapolis inset. http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/mdt&CISOPTR=1204&REC=1. Retrieved January 23, 2011. 
8. ^ Minnesota Department of Highways (1968). 1968-1969 Official Highway Map of Minnesota (Map). Metropolitan St. Paul-Minneapolis inset. http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/mdt&CISOPTR=1222&REC=7. Retrieved January 23, 2011. 
9. ^ Minnesota Department of Highways (1969). 1969 Official Highway Map of Minnesota (Map). Metropolitan St. Paul-Minneapolis inset. http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/mdt&CISOPTR=1225&REC=8. Retrieved January 23, 2011. 
10. ^ "Mn/DOT News Release - October 10, 2008". http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/news/08/10/10-280.html. Retrieved November 12, 2008. 

*Mn/DOT. Ramsey County General Highway Map. Accessed May 7, 2010.

*Mn/DOT. Highway 280 Construction Project Page. Year 2009. Accessed May 7, 2010.

*Steve Riner Details of Routes 219 to 287. Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Retrieved April 6, 2006.