Interstate 35W (Minnesota) - Route Description

Route Description

The southern terminus of I-35W is at Burnsville, where I-35 splits into I-35E and I-35W. While I-35E takes a northeasterly path into Saint Paul, I-35W heads north into Minneapolis. I-35W maintains a northbound direction in Burnsville with two lanes and adds a third lane at Burnsville Parkway. It then crosses the Minnesota River into Bloomington. At the Bloomington / Richfield city boundary line, I-35W has a cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 494. I-35W continues northbound into Richfield where it eliminates a lane, turns east and joins with State Highway 62 for about 1/4 mile in what is locally known as the Crosstown Commons. I-35W and Highway 62 split as two lanes of I-35W turn northbound toward downtown Minneapolis where I-35W adds back a third lane and then later a fourth and a fifth lane at the 46th Street on-ramp.

I-35W swerves slightly northeast immediately south of downtown to avoid the Washburn-Fair Oaks Mansion District. Three lanes then split north onto old Highway 65 which exits into downtown. The two right-hand lanes of I-35W curve a sharp right east where it runs side by side with Interstate 94 for less than a mile, allowing drivers to exchange highways. Here, the interchange with Interstate 94 does not have direct access for southbound I-35W to eastbound I-94 or westbound I-94 to northbound I-35W. Drivers must use Cedar Avenue and Washington Avenue exits to make these connections.

I-35W completes its eastern loop around downtown, and then crosses the Mississippi River on the new St. Anthony Falls bridge and winds northeast out of Northeast Minneapolis. Here I-35W passes through industrial areas near the suburbs of St. Anthony, Lauderdale, Roseville, and Arden Hills.

Interstate 35W meets Interstate 694 in New Brighton / Arden Hills at a cloverleaf interchange. U.S. Highway 10 joins I-35W one mile (1.6 km) north of the I-35W / I-694 interchange. I-35W and U.S. 10 run concurrently for another mile before U.S. 10 turns westward at Mounds View / Shoreview. I-35W passes next to the Twin Cities Ordnance Plant and again turns northeastward through the suburbs of Blaine and Lino Lakes. The communities of Lexington and Circle Pines are also nearby throughout this stretch. I-35W then merges with I-35E to re-form I-35 at Columbus near Forest Lake.

Interstate 35W carries its own set of exit numbers in the Twin Cities area, while Interstate 35E continues the Interstate 35 exit numbering scheme which goes between the Iowa state line and the city of Duluth.

Access between Interstate 35W and Interstate 35E in the Twin Cities area is done via circulator Interstate highways 494, 94, and 694; though many trunk and county highways, especially near the two downtown cores offer direct access between the two.

Legally, the route of Interstate 35W is defined as part of unmarked Legislative Route 394 in the Minnesota Statutes § 161.12(2), Interstate 35W is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway.