Legislative route (Minnesota)

Updated on Nov 22, 2024

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In the U.S. state of Minnesota, a legislative route is a highway number defined by the Minnesota State Legislature. The routes from 1 to 70 are constitutional routes, defined as part of the Babcock Amendment to the Minnesota State Constitution, passed November 2, 1920. All of them were listed in the constitution until a 1974 rewrite. Though they are now listed separately in §161.114 of the Minnesota Statutes, the definitions are legally considered to be part of the constitution, and cannot be altered or removed without an amendment. Legislative routes with numbers greater than 70 can be added or deleted by the legislature.

Until 1933 Constitutional Routes corresponded exactly to the number marked on the highways, but this is no longer necessarily the case. In fact it's common for CR highways to be composed of several different trunk highways. When the U.S. Highway system was created in 1926, many of these roads were made up of one or more U.S. highways. Today, they now use a mix of Minnesota state highways, U.S. highways, and Interstate highways.

Constitutional Route 1 is currently one of the most complex routes, composed of:

U.S. Highway 65 from the Iowa border to Albert Lea, Minnesota

Interstate 35 to Faribault

Minnesota State Highway 3 and MN-149 to Saint Paul

U.S. Highway 61 to Wyoming

Interstate 35 to Rush City

Minnesota State Highway 361 to Rock Creek

Minnesota State Highway 23 through Hinckley

the MN-73/27 loop through Moose Lake

Interstate 35 between Moose Lake and MN-210

the MN-210/45 loop through Carlton

Interstate 35 to Duluth

Minnesota State Highway 61 to the Canadian border

However, the route can be considered to be superseded along almost its entire length by Interstate 35 (and I-35E) and Minnesota State Highway 61. By contrast, Constitutional Route 58 still has the same marked number and extent that it did in 1920.

There is some ambiguity in how literally the Minnesota Department of Transportation must interpret the constitutional routes. In some cases, the routes no longer directly serve communities they were once designated for, but are routed along nearby highways instead.

Constitutional Routes 1–70

Constitutional Route 1: Iowa to Ontario via Albert Lea, Owatonna, Faribault, Northfield, Farmington, St. Paul, White Bear, Forest Lake, Wyoming, Rush City, Pine City, Hinckley, Sandstone, Moose Lake, Carlton, Duluth, Two Harbors, and Grand Marais

Constitutional Route 2: Duluth to North Dakota via Carlton, McGregor, Aitkin, Brainerd, Motley, Staples, Wadena, Detroit, and Moorhead

Constitutional Route 3: Wisconsin to North Dakota via La Crescent, Winona, Kellogg, Wabasha, Lake City, Red Wing, Hastings, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Osseo, Champlin, Anoka, Elk River, Big Lake, St. Cloud, Albany, Sauk Centre, Alexandria, Elbow Lake, Fergus Falls, and Breckenridge

Constitutional Route 4: Iowa to International Falls via Jackson, Windom, Sanborn, Redwood Falls, Morton, Olivia, Willmar, Paynesville, Sauk Centre, Long Prairie, Wadena, Park Rapids, Itasca State Park, and Bemidji

Constitutional Route 5: Iowa to Swan River via Blue Earth, Winnebago, Mankato, St. Peter, Le Sueur, Jordan, Shakopee, Minneapolis, Cambridge, Mora, and McGregor

Constitutional Route 6: Iowa to Manitoba via Luverne, Pipestone, Lake Benton, Ivanhoe, Canby, Madison, Bellingham, Odessa, Ortonville, Graceville, Dumont, Wheaton, Breckenridge, Moorhead, Kragnes, Georgetown, Perley, Hendrum, Ada, Crookston, Warren, Donaldson, and Hallock

Constitutional Route 7: Winona to South Dakota via St. Charles, Rochester, Kasson, Dodge Center, Claremont, Owatonna, Waseca, Mankato, St. Peter, New Ulm, Springfield, Tracy, and Lake Benton

Constitutional Route 8: Duluth to North Dakota via Floodwood, Swan River, Grand Rapids, Cass Lake, Bemidji, Bagley, Erskine, Crookston, and East Grand Forks

Constitutional Route 9: La Crescent to South Dakota via Hokah, Houston, Rushford, Lanesboro, Preston, Fountain, Spring Valley, Austin, Albert Lea, Blue Earth, Fairmont, Jackson, Worthington, and Luverne

Constitutional Route 10: Minneapolis to Wheaton via Montrose, Cokato, Litchfield, Willmar, Benson, Morris, and Herman

Constitutional Route 11: Duluth to Donaldson via Eveleth, Virginia, Cook, Orr, Cusson, International Falls, Baudette, Warroad, Roseau, and Greenbush

Constitutional Route 12: Wisconsin to Madison via St. Paul, Minneapolis, Hopkins, Norwood, Glencoe, Olivia, Granite Falls, Montevideo, and Dawson

Constitutional Route 13: Albert Lea to Jordan via Waseca, Waterville, Montgomery, and New Prague

Constitutional Route 14: Ivanhoe to Gaylord via Marshall, Redwood Falls, Morton, and Winthrop

Constitutional Route 15: Iowa to Winthrop via Fairmont, Madelia, and New Ulm

Constitutional Route 16: southwest of Mankato to Worthington via Madelia, St. James, Windom, and Fulda

Constitutional Route 17: Fulda to Granite Falls to Slayton, Garvin, and Marshall

Constitutional Route 18: Elk River to east of Brainerd via Princeton, Milaca, and Onamia

Constitutional Route 19: Brainerd to Cass Lake via Pine River and Walker

Constitutional Route 20: Iowa to Douglas via Canton, Harmony, Preston, Fountain, Chatfield, Oronoco, Pine Island, Zumbrota, and Cannon Falls

Constitutional Route 21: Zumbrota to St. Peter via Kenyon, Faribault, Le Sueur Center, and Cleveland

Constitutional Route 22: St. Peter to Paynesville via Gaylord, Glencoe, Hutchinson, and Litchfield

Constitutional Route 23: Paynesville to south of Hinckley via St. Cloud, Foley, Milaca, Ogilvie, and Mora

Constitutional Route 24: Litchfield to St. Cloud

Constitutional Route 25: Belle Plaine to Big Lake via Norwood, Watertown, Montrose, Buffalo, and Monticello

Constitutional Route 26: Benson to Ortonville

Constitutional Route 27: St. Cloud to Brainerd via Sauk Rapids, Royalton, and Little Falls

Constitutional Route 28: Little Falls to South Dakota via Sauk Centre, Glenwood, Starbuck, Morris, Graceville, and Browns Valley

Constitutional Route 29: Glenwood to west of Wadena via Alexandria, Parkers Prairie, and Deer Creek

Constitutional Route 30: Fergus Falls to Erskine via Pelican Rapids, Detroit Lakes, and Mahnomen

Constitutional Route 31: Ada to Mahnomen

Constitutional Route 32: east of Crookston to Greenbush via Red Lake Falls, Thief River Falls, and Middle River

Constitutional Route 33: Thief River Falls to Warren

Constitutional Route 34: Detroit to west of Grand Rapids via Park Rapids, Walker, and Remer

Constitutional Route 35: Mille Lacs Lake to Ely via Aitkin, Grand Rapids, Hibbing, Chisholm, Buhl, Mountain Iron, Virginia, Gilbert, McKinley, Biwabik, Aurora, and Tower

Constitutional Route 36: Fergus Falls to east of Henning

Constitutional Route 37: Little Falls to Motley

Constitutional Route 38: Montevideo to Starbuck via Benson

Constitutional Route 39: Mankato to west of Albert Lea via Mapleton, Minnesota Lake, and Wells

Constitutional Route 40: Iowa to Owatonna via Lyle, Austin, and Blooming Prairie

Constitutional Route 41: Blooming Prairie to Hayfield

Constitutional Route 42: east of Rochester to Kellogg via Elgin and Plainview

Constitutional Route 43: Rushford to Winona

Constitutional Route 44: Hokah to Canton via Caledonia

Constitutional Route 45: Wisconsin to St. Paul via Stillwater and Lake Elmo

Constitutional Route 46: Wisconsin to Wyoming via Taylors Falls and Center City

Constitutional Route 47: Slayton to Pipestone

Constitutional Route 48: west of Granite Falls to Canby via Clarkfield

Constitutional Route 49: east of Montevideo to south of Willmar via Clara City

Constitutional Route 50: Cannon Falls to Minneapolis via Farmington

Constitutional Route 51: Shakopee to north of Shakopee

Constitutional Route 52: south of Minneapolis to Fort Snelling towards St. Paul

Constitutional Route 53: Hastings to South St. Paul

Constitutional Route 54: Elbow Lake to Herman

Constitutional Route 55: northwest of Carlton to Cloquet

Constitutional Route 56: east of Austin to Kenyon via Brownsdale, Hayfield, Dodge Center, and West Concord

Constitutional Route 57: Mantorville to south of Mantorville

Constitutional Route 58: Zumbrota to Red Wing

Constitutional Route 59: Iowa to Lake City via Spring Valley, Stewartville, Rochester, Zumbro Falls

Constitutional Route 60: Faribault to Madison Lake via Morristown and Waterville

Constitutional Route 61: Deer River to Big Falls

Constitutional Route 62: Anoka to St. Paul

Constitutional Route 63: south of Forest Lake to Minneapolis

Constitutional Route 64: north of Fergus Falls to south of Moorhead via Rothsay and Barnesville

Constitutional Route 65: Bagley to south of Red Lake Falls via Clearbrook, Gonvick, Gully, Brooks, and Terrebonne

Constitutional Route 66: Montevideo to north of Appleton

Constitutional Route 67: Echo to Granite Falls

Constitutional Route 68: Marshall to Canby via Minneota

Constitutional Route 69: Buffalo to Paynesville via Maple Lake, Annandale, and Eden Valley

Constitutional Route 70: west of New Ulm to Hector via Fort Ridgely and Fairfax

Legislative Routes 71–140

Legislative Route 71: Little Falls, Onamia, Isle, McGrath, and Moose Lake

Legislative Route 72: Bemidji, Waskish, Baudette

Legislative Route 73: Zumbrota, Mazeppa, Zumbro Falls, and Wabasha

Legislative Route 74: Weaver, St. Charles, and Chatfield

Legislative Route 75: Winona to Wisconsin

Legislative Route 76: Wilson, Houston, and Caledonia to Iowa

Legislative Route 77: Rushford, Chatfield, Stewartville, and Hayfield

Legislative Route 78: Rushford to Mabel

Legislative Route 79: Harmony to Iowa

Legislative Route 80: Wykoff to Preston

Legislative Route 81: Austin to LeRoy

Legislative Route 82: Blooming Prairie, Ellendale, Mapleton, and St. James

Legislative Route 83: Mankato to New Ulm

Legislative Route 84: Sleepy Eye, St. James, and Sherburn to Iowa

Legislative Route 85: Windom, Worthington, and Bigelow to Iowa

Legislative Route 86: Iowa to Lakefield, Windom

Legislative Route 87: Wells, Kiester to Iowa

Legislative Route 88: South Dakota to Jasper, Pipestone, Marshall, and Montevideo

Legislative Route 89: Pipestone to South Dakota

Legislative Route 90: Ivanhoe to South Dakota

Legislative Route 91: Iowa to Adrian, Lake Wilson, and Russell

Legislative Route 92: Currie, Jeffers

Legislative Route 93: Redwood Falls, Sleepy Eye

Legislative Route 94: Hastings to Wisconsin

Legislative Route 95: Point Douglas, Bayport, Stillwater, Taylors Falls

Legislative Route 96: Stillwater, New Brighton

Legislative Route 97: Forest Lake, Taylors Falls

Legislative Route 98: Forest Lake, Center City

Legislative Route 99: Le Center, Shields Lake

Legislative Route 100: Gaylord, Henderson, New Prague, Northfield, Cannon Falls and Red Wing

Legislative Route 101: Faribault, Lakeville

Legislative Route 102: Connects Constitutional Route 1 through St. Paul

Legislative Route 103: Connects Constitutional Route 1 through Duluth

Legislative Route 104: Connects Constitutional Route 3 through St. Paul

Legislative Route 105: Connects Washington Avenue with Constitutional Route 5 through Minneapolis

Legislative Route 106: Connects Constitutional Route 8 through Duluth, via the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge.

Legislative Route 114: Discontinued and removed

Legislative Route 126: Repealed

Legislative Route 127: Discontinued and removed

Legislative Route 128: Mantorville, Wanamingo, and Hader

Legislative Route 129: Discontinued and removed

Legislative Route 130: Minneapolis, and Fort Snelling via Broadway Ave and Hiawatha Ave

Legislative Route 131: Randall, and Camp Ripley Junction

Legislative Route 132: St. Cloud, Princeton, Cambridge, and Taylors Falls

Legislative Route 133: Braham, West Rock, and Rock Creek, to Wisconsin.

Legislative Route 134: Grasston, and Brook Park

Legislative Route 135: Little Falls, Long Prairie, and Osakis

Legislative Route 136: Bemidji, and Roseau

Legislative Route 137: Garrison, Deerwood, Crosby, and Remer

Legislative Route 138: Walker, and Kabekona

Legislative Route 139: Pine River, and Walker

Legislative Route 140: Baudette, and Wheelers Point

Legislative Routes 141–210

Legislative Route 141: Connects Constitutional Route 4 and Constitutional Route 28 through Sauk Centre

Legislative Route 142: Paynesville, Glenwood, and Elbow Lake to South Dakota

Legislative Route 143: Sunburg, and Glenwood

Legislative Route 144: Madison, Appleton, Morris, and Barrett

Legislative Routes 351–396

Routes 380 to 385 were defined in and after 1975, and "may be added by order of the commissioner of transportation to the trunk highway system"; only 383, 384, and 385 have been added, and 385 no longer exists.

Legislative Route 380: Shepard Road in St. Paul

Legislative Route 381: deleted from the statutes (was a planned extension of the Lafayette Freeway northwest to I-35E)

Legislative Route 382: part of I-35E in St. Paul (actually covered by Route 390)

Legislative Route 383: Bloomington to Brooklyn Park

Legislative Route 384: Eden Prairie to southeast of Minneapolis

Legislative Route 385: deleted from the statutes (was Washington Avenue in Minneapolis)

Routes 390 to 396 were defined in and after the 1950s as portions of the Interstate Highway System "to take advantage of federal aid made available by the United States to the state of Minnesota for highway purposes".

Legislative Route 390: Iowa to Wisconsin (I-35, I-35E, and I-535)

Legislative Route 391: South Dakota to Wisconsin (I-90)

Legislative Route 392: North Dakota to Wisconsin (I-94)

Legislative Route 393: loop around the Twin Cities (I-494 and I-694)

Legislative Route 394: alternate to Route 390 through Minneapolis (I-35W)

Legislative Route 395: Duluth (part of I-35)

Legislative Route 396: Duluth (extension of I-35)

Interstate 394 is not a separate legislative route, instead being parts of Route 10 and Route 107, which carried U.S. Highway 12 along the same alignment before I-394 was built.

References

Legislative route (Minnesota) Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

Contents

Constitutional Routes 1–70

Legislative Routes 71–140

Legislative Routes 141–210

Legislative Routes 351–396

References