Interstate 494 (I-494) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway making up part of a beltwayofI-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 | ||||
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I-494 highlighted in red
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| 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 52inMaple Grove | |||
| Major intersections |
  US 212 / MN 5inEden Prairie US 169inBloomington I-35W in Bloomington/Richfield MN 5 in Bloomington I-35EinMendota Heights US 52inInver Grove Heights  US 10 / US 61inNewport | |||
| East end |  I-94 / I-694 / US 12inWoodbury/Oakdale | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Minnesota | |||
| Counties | Washington, Ramsey, Dakota, Hennepin | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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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.
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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.
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 5inEden 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.
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 AvenuetoMN 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.
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]
| 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
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