Minnesota State Highway 135

Trunk Highway 135
Route information
Defined by MS § 161.114
Maintained by Mn/DOT
Length:	36.160 mi[2] (58.194 km)
Existed:	November 2, 1920[1] – present
Major junctions
South end:	U.S. 53 at Virginia
	MN 37 at Gilbert CR 20 at McKinley CR 4 at Biwabik CR 100 at Aurora CR 21 at Embarrass Twp.
North end:	MN 1 / MN 169 at Tower
Location
Counties:	St. Louis
Highway system
Minnesota Trunk Highways Interstate • U.S. • State Inter-County • County roads • Legislative routes ← MN 127 MN 139 →

Minnesota State Highway 135 is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with U.S. Highway 53 in the city of Virginia and continues northeast to its northern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 1 in Tower.

The route is also known as the historic Vermilion Trail from Biwabik to Tower.

Highway 135 was originally designated 35 until it was re-numbered to avoid confusion with Interstate Highway 35.

Between Virginia and Gilbert, the highway twice crosses the Laurentian Divide.

Minnesota State Highway 135 is 36 miles (58 km) in length.

Route description

Highway 135 serves as an east–west and north–south route between the cities of Virginia, Gilbert, Biwabik, Aurora, and Tower in northeast Minnesota.

The route changes direction to north–south as it approaches Aurora and continues as north–south to its northern terminus in Tower.

The highway is officially marked as a north–south route by its highway shields from beginning to end.

The route is legally defined as Constitutional Route 35 in the Minnesota Statutes.^[1]

History

The highway was authorized on November 2, 1920.^[1]

Originally, this highway was designated State Highway 35. However, it was re-numbered as 135 during the 1960s to avoid duplication with Interstate Highway 35 that was being built in Minnesota during that time.^[3]

The route was paved south of Aurora by 1942 and paved south of Embarrass by 1953. The highway was paved completely by 1960.^[3]

A section of this route formerly ran through the city of Virginia as a business route to U.S. 53 after construction of the U.S. 53 bypass in the 1970s. This business route had followed 2nd Avenue and 9th Street North in Virginia during the 1970s and 1980s.^[3]

Major intersections

The entire route is in St. Louis County.

Location	Mile[2]	Destinations	Notes
Virginia	3.546– 3.794	US 53	Interchange
Gilbert	6.040	CR 105 (Indiana Avenue)
	6.641	MN 37 (Nokomis Street)
Biwabik Township	9.546	CR 20
Biwabik	14.443	CR 4 (Vermilion Trail)
	15.303	CR 138
Aurora	17.904	CR 100 east, CR 110 south
Embarrass Township	28.578	CR 21
Kugler Township	34.371	CR 26
Tower	39.475	MN 1 / MN 169
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Minnesota State Legislature (2010). "§ 161.114, Constitutional Trunk Highways". Minnesota Statutes. Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=161.114. Retrieved November 21, 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Trunk Highway Log Point Listing - Construction District 1" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 20, 2010. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/reports/logpoint/d1.pdf. Retrieved November 21, 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Riner, Steve. "Details of routes 101-149". The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. http://www.steve-riner.com/mnhighways/r101-149.htm#135. Retrieved November 21, 2010. ^{[unreliable source]}