Interstate 494

This article is about the beltway around portions of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota. For other uses, see Interstate 494 (disambiguation).

Interstate 494 (I-494) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway making up part of a beltway of I-94, circling through the southern and western portions of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota. The 42.94-mile (69.11 km) road is coupled with I-694 (which circles the northern edge of the Twin Cities metro area) at each end and composes more than half of the major beltway of the region. I-694/I-494 also act as loop routes for I-35E and I-35W.

Interstate 494
I-494 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-94
Maintained by MnDOT
Length	42.94 mi[1] (69.11 km)
Existed	1985[citation needed]–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
North end	I-94 / I-694 / US 52 in Maple Grove
Major intersections	I-394 / US 12 in Minnetonka US 212 / MN 5 in Eden Prairie US 169 in Bloomington I-35W in Bloomington/Richfield MN 5 in Bloomington I-35E in Mendota Heights US 52 in Inver Grove Heights US 10 / US 61 in Newport
East end	I-94 / I-694 / US 12 in Woodbury/Oakdale
Location
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Counties	Washington, Ramsey, Dakota, Hennepin
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Minnesota Trunk Highway System Interstate US State Legislative Scenic
← I-394 → I-535

Pedestrian bridge on I-494 near Lyndale Avenue in Bloomington/Richfield

The speed limit on I-494 is 60 mph (97 km/h). Interstate Highways outside of the loop in Minnesota may be signed as high as 70 mph (110 km/h). Most highways inside the loop are signed at speeds of 55 mph (89 km/h) or lower, though a few exceptions were added in September 2005, allowing speeds of up to 60 mph (97 km/h) in some places. Those roads had been signed at 60 mph (97 km/h) or higher up until the 1973 oil crisis.

Route description

The exit numbering of I-494 is unusual in that it begins at the Minnesota River heading westbound (between Eagan and Bloomington) and continues clockwise around the entire beltway, continuing clockwise onto I-694. The last exit east of the Minnesota River is exit 71 to Pilot Knob Road. The first exit west of the river is exit 1A, which grants access to eastbound Minnesota State Highway 5 (MN 5) and Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. The most significant landmark on the length of I-494 is Mall of America, just south of the intersection of I-494 and MN 77.

Legally, the route of I-494 is defined as part of unmarked legislative route 393 in Minnesota Statutes § 161.12(5).^[2] I-494 is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway.

History

Construction on I-494 first began in the late 1950s, and it was finally completed in 1985. With the most recent expansion completed in November 2016 in Plymouth, I-494 is now at least three lanes in each direction for its entire route.

A major reconstruction/widening project of I-494 was completed in late 2006 between US Highway 212 (US 212)/MN 5 in Eden Prairie and Carlson Parkway at Minnetonka–Plymouth. There were plans for up to six lanes in each direction for parts of I-494 in Bloomington, but the majority of the city only sees four lanes and sees five in only two spots: eastbound at the East Bush Lake Road exit and further eastbound at the point where I-494 and MN 5 separate from each other.

Expansion of the Wakota Bridge between Newport and South St. Paul over the Mississippi River was completed in mid-2010. The bridge is named so because it connects Washington and Dakota counties. Near the end of this effort, I-494 was widened from two to three lanes in each direction between Lake Road and I-94 in Woodbury.

Traffic

Since its opening, I-494 has been subjected to numerous traffic problems, both eastbound and westbound. Vehicles eastbound usually start to slow down at the US 169 interchange in Bloomington and continues to slow at the interchange with MN 100, at the Bloomington–Edina city line. However, traffic is the worst at the interchange for I-35W, which is located at the Bloomington–Richfield city line.^[3] Currently, information about the study is on the City of Bloomington's website,^[4] with more information starting to come from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).^[5] The plan is scoped between US 169 to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. The road sees over 500,000 passengers per day, with it being congested for more than 30 percent of the day. So far, MnDOT has determined to add E-ZPass Minnesota lanes eastbound from France Avenue to MN 77 and westbound from MN 77 to I-35W. They also plan to construct a turbine-style ramp for northbound I-35W from westbound I-494. In an effort to reduce congestion on the highway and on exits as well, MnDOT is planning to close all ramps at Nicollet Avenue and 12th Avenue and construct a full-access interchange at County State-Aid Highway 35 (CSAH 35; Portland Avenue), with two onramps and two offramps to replace the ramps.^[6] Problems have been addressed throughout the entire corridor, with all the highways being included. Construction for the Metro Orange Line tunnel began in 2019 and is still currently underway. The rest of the corridor is still being studied, with plans for construction to begin between 2022 and 2024.

494 Corridor Commission

The 494 Corridor Commission, also known as 494 Commuter Services, is a nonprofit organization aimed at reducing traffic congestion along the southwest section of the I-494 corridor. In 1988, the cities of Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina, Minnetonka, and Richfield joined to address traffic congestion and work toward improving I-494. The organization's mission is to promote economic growth and regional prosperity through improved transportation options along the highway, such as carpooling and bus transit. The organization's board of directors consists of representatives from each of the five member cities, MnDOT, the Metropolitan Council, and the private business community.^[7]

Exit list

County	Location	mi[8]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Washington	Oakdale	58.158	93.596		I-694 north	Continuation beyond I-94
	Oakdale–Woodbury line			58	I-94 / US 12 – St. Paul, Eau Claire	Signed as exits 58A (west) and 58B (east); I-94 exit 249
	Woodbury	58.999	94.950	58C	Tamarack Road
		59.852	96.322	59	Valley Creek Road (CSAH 16)	Formerly MN 120
		60.690	97.671	60	Lake Road (CSAH 25 north)
Ramsey–Washington county line	Maplewood–Newport line	63.177	101.674	63A	US 10 west / US 61 north / CSAH 18 east (Bailey Road) / Great River Road (National Route) north – St. Paul	Bailey Road not signed eastbound; eastern end of Great River Road overlap
Washington	Newport			63B	US 10 east / US 61 south – Hastings	Westbound access to US 10 west/US 61 north via exit 63A
		63.408	102.045	63C	Maxwell Avenue (CSAH 38 south)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Dakota	South St. Paul	63.995	102.990	Wakota Bridge over the Mississippi River
		64.204	103.326	64A	Hardman Avenue
		64.646	104.038	64B	CSAH 56 (Concord Street) / Great River Road (National Route) south	Formerly MN 156; previously MN 56; western end of Great River Road overlap
		65.125– 65.251	104.809– 105.011	65	5th Avenue, 7th Avenue
	Inver Grove Heights	66.148	106.455	66	US 52 – St. Paul, Rochester
		66.391– 67.170	106.846– 108.100	67	MN 3 (Robert Street) / MN 62	MN 62 is not accessible eastbound. Instead, traffic must exit to MN 3 and go north to gain access
	Eagan–Mendota Heights line	70.049	112.733	69	MN 149 (Dodd Road) to MN 55	MN 55 crosses I-494 west of I-35E, but with no direct access
		70.815	113.966	70	I-35E – St. Paul, Albert Lea	I-35E exits 99A-B
		71.906	115.721	71	CSAH 31 (Pilot Knob Road)
Dakota–Hennepin county line	Eagan–Mendota Heights– Bloomington tripoint	73.021 0.000	117.516 0.000	I-494 Bridge over the Minnesota River
Hennepin	Bloomington	1.257	2.023	1A	MN 5 east – Terminal 1	Eastern end of MN 5 overlap
		1.637	2.634	1B	34th Avenue – Terminal 2	Diverging diamond interchange; METRO Blue Line light rail runs in the median of 34th Avenue[9]
		2.355	3.790	2A	CSAH 1 south (24th Avenue)
	Bloomington–Richfield line	2.836	4.564	2	MN 77 (Cedar Avenue)	Signed as exits 2B (north) and 2C (south)
		3.358– 3.856	5.404– 6.206	3	CSAH 35 (Portland Avenue) / 12th Avenue	12th Avenue ramps to be removed in the Airport to US-169 Project Portland Avenue will become full access
		4.357	7.012	4A	CSAH 52 north (Nicollet Avenue)	To be removed in the Airport to US-169 Project
		4.854	7.812	4B	Lyndale Avenue
		5.343	8.599	5	I-35W – Minneapolis, Albert Lea	Signed as exits 5A (north) and 5B (south); I-35W exits 9A-B
		5.851	9.416	6A	CSAH 32 (Penn Avenue)
	Bloomington	6.875	11.064	6B	CSAH 17 (France Avenue)
		7.926	12.756	7	MN 100 north / CSAH 34 (Normandale Boulevard)	Signed as exits 7A (north) and 7B (south)
		8.521	13.713	8	CSAH 28 (E. Bush Lake Road)
	Bloomington–Eden Prairie line	10.114	16.277	10A	US 169	Eastbound access to US 169 north via exit 10B
				10B	Washington Avenue	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	Eden Prairie	11.659	18.763	11A	CSAH 61 (Flying Cloud Drive) / Prairie Center Drive	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		11.923	19.188	11	US 212 / MN 5 west	Western end of MN 5 overlap, Signed as 11B (east) and 11C (west)
		12.233	19.687	12	CSAH 39 (Valley View Road)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Minnetonka	13.899	22.368	13	MN 62 east / CSAH 62 west
		16.267	26.179	16	MN 7	Signed as exits 16A (east) and 16B (west)
		16.970	27.311	17	Minnetonka Boulevard
		19.513	31.403	19	I-394 east / US 12 – Minneapolis, Wayzata	Cloverleaf interchange; signed as exits 19A (east) and 19B (west); I-394/US 12 exit 1A-B
	Plymouth	20.366	32.776	20	Carlson Parkway
		21.302	34.282	21	CSAH 6
		22.272	35.843	22	MN 55
		23.522	37.855	23	CSAH 9 (Rockford Road)
	Maple Grove	26.203	42.170	26	CSAH 10 (Bass Lake Road)
		27.993	45.050	27	I-94 west / US 52 west – St. Cloud	Northbound left exit and southbound entrance; I-94 exit 216
					I-94 east / I-694 east / US 52 north	Beltway continues as I-94/I-694 east/US 52 south
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

References

1. Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
2. "Sec. 161.12 MN Statutes". Minnesota Legislature. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
3. "I-35W/I-494 Interchange Improvements | City of Bloomington MN". Archived from the original on July 2, 2018.
4. "I-494 and I-35W Study". Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
5. "I-494: Airport to Hwy 169 virtual open house". Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
6. "6. Changes to Access — I-494: Airport to Hwy 169". Minnesota Department of Transportation.^{[dead link‍]}
7. "494 Corridor Commission - Who We Are". Archived from the original on June 7, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
8. Minnesota Department of Transportation (August 14, 2014). "Statewide Trunk Logpoint Listing" (PDF). St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Transportation. pp. 54–61. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
9. "34th Avenue/I-494 Interchange: Diverging diamond interchange removes right turn arrows". City of Bloomington. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2013.

• Adam Froehlig (November 22, 2003). Interstate Highway 494. Interstate 494 in Minnesota. Accessed August 26, 2010.
• Interstate 494 Minnesota. Interstate-Guide.com. Accessed May 17, 2005.

External links

• MnDOT: MnDOT I-494 Reconstruction Project - from I-394 to Minnesota River

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