Existed: 1920 – present Length 76.98 km Major cities Litchfield, Annandale | North end: US 10 in Clear Lake Constructed 1920 | |
South end: US 12 / MN 22 in Litchfield Counties Meeker County, Minnesota, Stearns County, Minnesota, Wright County, Minnesota, Sherburne County, Minnesota | ||
Minnesota State Highway 24 (MN 24) is a highway in central Minnesota, which travels from its intersection with U.S. Highway 12 (US 12) and MN 22 in Litchfield and continues northeast to its intersection with US 10 and Sherburne County Road 6 in Clear Lake.
Contents
For part of its route (5 miles (8.0 km)), MN 24 travels concurrent with MN 15 between Kingston Township and Kimball.
MN 24 also travels concurrently with MN 55 for 9 miles (14 km) between Kimball and Annandale.
The route is 48 miles (77 km) in length. The section between Interstate 94 (I-94) and US 10 is part of the National Highway System.
Route description
MN 24 serves as a northeast–southwest route in central Minnesota between Litchfield, Kimball, Annandale, Clearwater, and Clear Lake.
The route crosses the Highway 24 Bridge at the Mississippi River between Clearwater and Clear Lake.
The section of MN 24 between I-94 and US 10 experiences high volumes of traffic due to its usage as a connection between the two highways. This connection primarily serves Twin Cities traffic heading to and from communities in central Minnesota and the Brainerd Lakes Area via US 10, especially on summer weekends. As a result of the rising traffic volumes experienced on this stretch of MN 24, a new freeway has been proposed to connect I-94 and US 10 in the vicinity, and is scheduled for construction after 2015.
History
MN 24 was authorized in 1920 from Litchfield to St. Cloud.
In 1934, MN 15 was extended north to St. Cloud, replacing most of MN 24. From 1934 to 1963, it traveled only between Litchfield and MN 15 in Kingston Township, south of Kimball.
The section of present day MN 24 between Annandale (at MN 55) and Clear Lake (at US 10) was added circa 1950 and originally designated State Highway 240 until 1963. MN 240 was decommissioned and became part of MN 24.
All of MN 24 was still gravel before 1941. The route was completely paved by 1953.