U.S. Route 2 in Minnesota

U.S. Highway 2
Maintained by MnDOT
West end:	U.S. 2 at the Red River, 3 mi from I-29 the Minnesota — North Dakota state line, at East Grand Forks, MN  — Grand Forks, ND
Major junctions:	MN 220 at East Grand Forks U.S. 75 at Crookston U.S. 59 at Erskine MN 92 at Bagley U.S. 71 at Bemidji MN 371 at Cass Lake U.S. 169 at Grand Rapids MN 33 at Saginaw MN 194 at Solway Township I-35 at Duluth
East end:	U.S. 2 at the Saint Louis Bay, the Minnesota — Wisconsin state line, at Duluth, MN  — Superior, WI
Minnesota State Highways < TH 1 TH 3 > United States Numbered Highways List – Bannered – Divided – Replaced

U.S. Route 2 is a highway in northwest and northeast Minnesota, which runs from the Red River at East Grand Forks and continues east to Duluth, where the route crosses the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge over the Saint Louis Bay. The route connects the cities of East Grand Forks, Bemidji, Grand Rapids, and Duluth.

Of the 266 miles (428 km) of U.S. 2 in Minnesota, 146 miles (235 km) have four lanes, mostly located in the northwest part of the state.

Route description

U.S. Highway 2 enters the state from the west at the city of East Grand Forks, at the Red River. From the North Dakota state line to Cass Lake, U.S. 2 is a four lane divided highway for 146 miles (235 km). This expressway portion of U.S. 2 in northwest Minnesota passes through the cities of East Grand Forks, Crookston, Erskine, Fosston, Bagley, Bemidji, and Cass Lake.

The portion of U.S. 2 from Bemidji to Cass Lake is officially designated the Paul Bunyan Expressway.

After Cass Lake, U.S. 2 continues east as a two lane road for 40 miles to Deer River.

East of Deer River, U.S. 2 is a four lane divided highway for seven miles (11 km) until the city of Grand Rapids, where it has a junction with U.S. Highway 169.

U.S. 2 then heads southeast as a two lane road for 59 miles to the unincorporated area of Saginaw, where it has an interchange with State Highway 33. The route then continues east for two miles to its intersection with State Highway 194 at Solway Township.

U.S. 2 then continues southeast for 12 miles (19 km) before entering the city of Proctor, where it is the main street through town. The route widens to a four-lane road as it approaches its intersection with Boundary Avenue (County Road 14).

The route enters the city limits of Duluth, where it has junction with Interstate 35, U.S. 2 joins that route's freeway. U.S. 2 is concurrent with I-35 for two miles in West Duluth, proceeding down Thompson Hill.

U.S. 2 then exits the I-35 freeway in West Duluth and crosses the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge over the Saint Louis Bay, entering the state of Wisconsin and the city of Superior. U.S. 2 then follows Belknap Street in Superior.

U.S. Highway 2 in Minnesota passes through the counties of:

Legally, the Minnesota section of U.S. 2 is defined as Routes 8 and 203 in the Minnesota Statutes §§ 161.114(2) and 161.115(134). The route is not marked with those numbers.

History

U.S. Highway 2 in Minnesota was authorized in 1926.

The route in Minnesota was completely paved by 1940.

A few short (four-lane) divided highway segments of Highway 2 were constructed west of Bemidji during the 1960s.

In the present day, from East Grand Forks to Cass Lake, this route is built to expressway standards and a posted 65 MPH speed limit. From Cass Lake to Duluth, there are only a couple of short four-lane divided highway segments, but the non-urban portions of this segment are posted 60 mph (97 km/h) speed limit.

Notes

A new U.S. Highway 2 interchange with State Highway 89 in Wilton is planned for 2012. This is located immediately west of Bemidji.

References

*Steve Riner Details of Routes 1 to 25. Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Accessed December 7, 2008.

U.S. Route 2
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