Interstate 694

Interstate 694
Interstate 694 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Mn/DOT
Length:	31 mi (49.89 km)
Existed:	1970 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-94 / I-494 at Maple Grove
	US 169 at Brooklyn Park I-94 / MN 252 at Brooklyn Center I-35W at New Brighton , Arden Hills US 10 / MN 51 at Arden Hills I-35E / US 10 at Little Canada US 61 at Maplewood
East end:	I-94 / I-494 at Woodbury/Oakdale
Location
Counties:	Hennepin, Anoka, Ramsey, Washington
Highway system
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business Minnesota Trunk Highways Interstate • US • State • Legislative routes ← MN 610 MN 1 →

Interstate 694 (I-694) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway located in the Minneapolis – Saint Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The western terminus of the route is at its junction with Interstate 94 and Interstate 494 in Maple Grove. The eastern terminus of I-694 is at its junction with Interstate 94 and Interstate 494 at the Woodbury / Oakdale city boundary line. I-694 comprises the northern and northeastern portions of a beltway around the Twin Cities, with I-494 forming the remainder of the beltway.

The speed limit is 60 miles per hour (100 km/h). Interstate Highways outside of the loop in Minnesota may be signed as high as 70 mph (110 km/h), but can only reach 55 mph (90 km/h) inside the loop (changes are proposed as of 2005, however).

I-694 also interchanges with Interstate 35W at New Brighton / Arden Hills and Interstate 35E at Little Canada / Vadnais Heights. I-694 is also concurrent with Interstate 94 for eight miles (13 km) from Maple Grove to Brooklyn Center.

Interstate 694 is 31 miles (50 km) in length.

Route description

Interstate 694 begins on the counter-clockwise end at the junction of I-94, I-494, and I-694 in the city of Maple Grove, often referred to as the Fish Lake Interchange. From the Fish Lake Interchange, I-694 travels eastbound (clockwise) and concurrent with I-94 through the cities of Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, and Brooklyn Center. In Brooklyn Center, I-94 splits from I-694 and then I-94 travels south toward downtown Minneapolis, while I-694 continues its beltway function, crossing the Mississippi River, and then passing through the communities of Fridley and New Brighton, where it has an interchange with I-35W. I-694 turns slightly to the southeast as it passes through the communities of Arden Hills, Shoreview, and Little Canada. I-694 turns back to near due east at its western junction with I-35E. It continues east through the communities of Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, and Maplewood. In Pine Springs, I-694 has a cloverleaf interchange with State Highway 36. The I-694 / Highway 36 interchange makes out a rough corner, in which I-694 switches direction from eastbound to southbound. I-694 continues south through the city of Oakdale, and finally terminates on the clockwise end at the interchange of I-94, I-494, and I-694 at the Oakdale / Woodbury city boundary line. I-694 becomes I-494 after this interchange.

Mileposts on Interstate 694 are numbered to increase while traveling eastbound (clockwise). They are in sequence with the numbering of adjoining Interstate 494, where the numbering begins and ends at the Minnesota River. Between Maple Grove and Brooklyn Center, the mileposts correspond to the beltway numbering, not I-94 mileage.

Interstate 694 has problems with "weave" interchanges. The Unweave the Weave construction project from 2004 to 2008 disentangled I-694 and I-35E at Little Canada / Vadnais Heights. The project was designed to increase traffic flow, driver safety, and improve the condition of the roadway. Another construction project designed to 'unweave' the highway is scheduled to begin in August 2011. This project will eliminate the weaving movements of Interstate 694 at its interchange with U.S. Highway 10 and State Highway 51 in Arden Hills. This interchange sometimes creates one of the worst bottlenecks in the Twin Cities due to drivers needing to change at least one lane to continue westbound on Interstate 694 between Highway 51 (Snelling Avenue) and U.S. 10. When the construction project is completed, the roadway of I-694 will include 3 thru-lanes in each direction from I-35W at New Brighton to U.S. 10 at Arden Hills; 4 thru-lanes in each direction from U.S. 10 in Arden Hills to Rice Street at Shoreview / Little Canada; and 5 thru-lanes in each direction from Rice Street to the I-694 / I-35E interchange, compared with the current 2 to 3 lanes throughout the I-694 corridor. These plans may be altered if a new Minnesota Vikings stadium is built at the site of the nearby Twin Cities Arsenal.

Legally, the route of Interstate 694 is defined as part of unmarked legislative route 393 in the Minnesota Statutes § 161.12(5). Interstate 694 is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway.

History

The construction of Interstate 694 was authorized in 1956. The first section of I-694 completed was between U.S. 10 at Arden Hills to I-35E at Little Canada in the early 1960s. The last section of I-694 completed was between I-35E at Little Canada to its junction with I-94 / I-494 at Oakdale / Woodbury, completed by the early 1970s.

Interstate 694 was built as the main thoroughfare for the northern suburbs of Minneapolis – Saint Paul. These include the cities of Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Fridley, New Brighton, Arden Hills, Shoreview, Little Canada, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, Maplewood, Pine Springs, and Oakdale.

Exit list

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
Hennepin	Maple Grove			I-494	Counterclockwise exit and clockwise entrance
			27	I-94 west – St. Cloud	Counterclockwise end of I-94 overlap
			28	CR 61 (Hemlock Lane)
	Brooklyn Park		29	US 169	Signed as exits 29A (south) and 29B (north)
			30	Boone Avenue
			31	CR 81
	Brooklyn Center		33	CR 152 (Brooklyn Boulevard)
			34	To MN 100 / Shingle Creek Parkway
			35A	MN 100	Counterclockwise exit and clockwise entrance
			35B	I-94 east	Clockwise end of I-94 overlap
			35C	MN 252
Anoka	Fridley		36	East River Road
			37	MN 47 (University Avenue)
			38	MN 65 (Central Avenue)
Ramsey	New Brighton		39	CR 44 (Silver Lake Road)
			40	Long Lake Road, 10th Street Northwest
			41	I-35W	Signed as exits 41A (south) and 41B (north)
	Arden Hills		42B	US 10 west – Anoka	Counterclockwise end of U.S. 10 overlap; counterclockwise exit and clockwise entrance
			42A	MN 51 (Snelling Avenue) / Hamline Avenue
			43A	Lexington Avenue	Lexington Avenue is split between Shoreview (northbound side of the street) and Arden Hills (southbound side of the street)
	Shoreview		43B	Victoria Street
			45	Rice Street
	Little Canada		46	I-35E south / US 10 east – St. Paul	Clockwise end of U.S. 10 overlap; counterclockwise end of I-35E overlap
	Vadnais Heights		47	I-35E north – Duluth	Clockwise end of I-35E overlap
	White Bear Lake/ Maplewood		48	US 61
			50	White Bear Avenue
			51	MN 120
Washington	Pine Springs		52	MN 36 – North St. Paul, Stillwater	Signed as exits 52A (west) and 52B (east)
	Oakdale		55	MN 5
			57	CR 10 (10th Street North)
			58	I-94 – St. Paul, Madison	Signed as exits 58A (west) and 58B (east)
				I-494 south	Clockwise exit and counterclockwise entrance