Existed: 1920 – present Constructed 1920 | Length 248.4 km | |
South end: IA 15 at Minnesota - Iowa state line North end: U.S. 10 at Sauk Rapids Twp. Major cities St. Cloud, Hutchinson, Sauk Rapids, New Ulm, Fairmont, Madelia Counties Martin County, Minnesota | ||
Minnesota State Highway 15 (MN 15) is a highway in south-central and central Minnesota, which runs from Iowa Highway 15 at the Iowa state line and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with U.S. Highway 10 outside of Sartell and Sauk Rapids, north of St. Cloud.
Contents
Highway 15 is 154 miles (248 km) in length.
Route description
State Highway 15 serves as a north–south route between Fairmont, Madelia, New Ulm, Hutchinson, and St. Cloud in south-central and central Minnesota.
Highway 15 parallels State Highway 4 throughout its route in south-central and central Minnesota.
Flandrau State Park is located near Highway 15 in Brown County on the Cottonwood River. The park is located just south of New Ulm.
St. Cloud area
Highway 15 is a four-lane highway on the west side of St. Cloud from Interstate Highway 94 to U.S. Highway 10. Highway 15 crosses the Bridge of Hope at the Mississippi River between Sartell and Sauk Rapids.
In the 1970s, Highway 15 through the St. Cloud area was planned to be constructed as a freeway, providing a high-speed connection between I-94 and U.S. 10. However, funding fell short of completing the freeway beyond Highway 23 / County Road 75 (2nd Street South). As a result, it was eventually decided that right-of-way needed to build interchanges would be sold off so the remaining segment of Highway 15 across the Mississippi River, connecting to U.S. 10, could be built. Therefore, from 2nd Street South to U.S. 10, the highway is currently built as an expressway with signalized intersections. As of now, Highway 15 is able to serve traffic, with stretches posted at a 60 mph (97 km/h) speed limit. However, continuing increases in traffic in the St. Cloud area will require the highway to be eventually converted to a freeway in the long term (post 2030).
History
State Highway 15 was authorized in 1920, 1933, and 1950.
The section of Highway 15 between New Ulm and the Iowa state line was originally Minnesota Constitutional Route 15, dating back to 1920.
The section of Highway 15 between St. Cloud and Kimball was originally part of Minnesota Constitutional Route 24.
The middle section of Highway 15 was authorized in 1933, the northernmost section in 1950. This northerly section was originally part of old State Highway 152 and was routed through downtown St. Cloud. Now, it bypasses central St. Cloud to the west side of town.
By 1940, only two short gravel sections of Highway 15 remained, both paved by 1953.