Minnesota State Highway 3
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by MnDOT | ||||
| Length | 43.749 mi[1] (70.407 km) | |||
| Existed | 1963 – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |
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| North end |
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| Location | ||||
| Counties | Rice, Dakota | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Minnesota State Highway 3 (MN 3) is a state highway in Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with MN 21 in Faribault and continues north to its northern terminus at an interchange with MN 62 in Inver Grove Heights. MN 3 is 44 miles (71 km) in length.
Route description
MN 3 serves as a north-south route between Inver Grove Heights, Eagan, Rosemount, Farmington, Northfield, and Faribault.
MN 3 travels through open fields just outside of Northfield, and it begins to slope outward as the city is left. Between Farmington and Rosemount, MN 3 is flat and mostly straight through several farm fields, including a turf farm. Between Rosemount and Eagan, however, the road is more curvy. MN 3 follows parallel to a rail line at this point, and the road is heavily wooded. It has many sharp turns with speed limits ranging from 30 to 45 miles per hour (48 to 72 km/h); at least one sharp turn is inadequately banked. Once in Eagan, MN 3 travels through a valley, and then continues to a junction with MN 55 in Inver Grove Heights. It continues northbound to its interchange with I-494, and then continues north through rolling, wooded hills over a mostly straight path until its terminus at MN 62.
Legally, MN 3 is defined as legislative routes 1, 115, and 334 in the Minnesota Statutes. The route is not marked with those numbers.
History
MN 3 was established in 1963, from the southern portion of former MN 218. This route was originally numbered 65 as part of old U.S. Highway 65 (US 65) from 1927 to 1934. It was built between Faribault and MN 149 in Inver Grove Heights and was paved as early as 1929.[2]
The route was renumbered 218 in 1934 as part of old US 218 from 1934 to 1935, which was eventually redesignated MN 218 from 1935 to 1963. The route was renumbered MN 3 in 1963.[2]
MN 3 follows a roadway from Faribault to Inver Grove Heights that previously extended north through West St. Paul, downtown Saint Paul, and ended at the State Capitol. This section is still under state maintenance as unmarked MN 952.
The route was once part of the Jefferson Highway, an automobile highway stretching through the central U.S. until the late 1920s. MN 3 is still part of unmarked Constitutional Route 1.
From the late 1970s to 1994, MN 3 was previously routed on the Lafayette Freeway through South St. Paul / West St. Paul to downtown Saint Paul. Nearby US 52 was routed on a stretch of Robert Street during this period of time. The Lafayette Freeway was completely constructed in 1994, US 52 was then rerouted along that route and MN 3 was shortened to its current northern terminus at its junction with MN 62 in Inver Grove Heights.[2]
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | Faribault | 0.000 | 0.000 | | |
| Northfield | 12.299 | 19.793 |  | ||
| 12.766 | 20.545 |  | South end of MN 19 overlap | ||
| 13.036 | 20.979 | | North end of MN 19 overlap | ||
| Dakota | Farmington | 25.357 | 40.808 |  | |
| Inver Grove Heights | 38.332 | 61.689 |  | ||
| 40.642– 40.787 | 65.407– 65.640 |  | Interchange | ||
| Inver Grove Heights–Sunfish Lake line | 43.375– 43.550 | 69.805– 70.087 | | Interchange | |
| 43.735– 43.787 | 70.385– 70.468 | | Previously MN 110; interchange access to I-494 east | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- 1 2 "Statewide Logpoint Listing" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- 1 2 3 Riner, Steve. "Details of routes 1–25". The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Self-published. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
External links
Route map: