Interstate 494

Interstate494 (I-494) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway making up part of a beltway of I-94, circling through the southern and western portions of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota. The 42.94-mile (69.11km) road is coupled with I-694 (which circles the northern edge of the Twin Cities metro area) at each end and composes more than half of the major beltway of the region. I-694/I-494 also act as loop routes for I-35E and I-35W.

The speed limit on I-494 is 60mph (97km/h). Interstate Highways outside of the loop in Minnesota may be signed as high as 70mph (110km/h). Most highways inside the loop are signed at speeds of 55mph (89km/h) or lower, though a few exceptions were added in September 2005, allowing speeds of up to 60mph (97km/h) in some places. Those roads had been signed at 60mph (97km/h) or higher up until the 1973 oil crisis.

Route description

The exit numbering of I-494 is unusual in that it begins at the Minnesota River heading westbound (between Eagan and Bloomington) and continues clockwise around the entire beltway, continuing clockwise onto I-694. The last exit east of the Minnesota River is exit71 to Pilot Knob Road. The first exit west of the river is exit1A, which grants access to eastbound State Highway5 (MN5) and Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. The most significant landmark on the length of I-494 is Mall of America, just south of the intersection of I-494 and MN 77.

Legally, the route of I-494 is defined as part of unmarked legislative route393 in Minnesota Statutes § 161.12(5). I-494 is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway.

History

Construction on I-494 first began in the late 1950s, and it was finally completed in 1985. With the most recent expansion completed in November 2016 in Plymouth, I-494 is now at least three lanes in each direction for its entire route.

A major reconstruction/widening project of I-494 was completed in late 2006 between US Highway212/State Highway5 (US212/MN5) in Eden Prairie and Carlson Parkway at Minnetonka–Plymouth. There were plans for up to six lanes in each direction for parts of I-494 in Bloomington, but the majority of the city only sees four lanes and sees five in only two spots: eastbound at the East Bush Lake Road exit and further eastbound at the point where I-494 and MN5 separate from each other.

Expansion of the Wakota Bridge between Newport and South St. Paul over the Mississippi River was completed in mid-2010. The bridge is named so because it connects Washington and Dakota counties. Near the end of this effort, I-494 was widened from two to three lanes in each direction between Lake Road and I-94 in Woodbury.

Traffic

Since its opening, I-494 has been subjected to numerous traffic problems, both eastbound and westbound. Vehicles eastbound usually start to slow down at the US169 interchange in Bloomington and continues to slow at the interchange with MN 100, at the Bloomington–Edina city line. However, traffic is the worst at the interchange for I-35W, which is located at the Bloomington–Richfield city line. Currently, information about the study is on the City of Bloomington's website, with more information starting to come from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). The plan is scoped between US169 to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. The road sees over 500,000passengers per day, with it being congested for more than 30percent of the day. So far, MnDOT has determined to add E-ZPass Minnesota lanes eastbound from France Avenue to MN77 and westbound from MN77 to I-35W. They also plan to construct a turbine-style ramp for northbound I-35W from westbound I-494. In an effort to reduce congestion on the highway and on exits as well, MnDOT is planning to close all ramps at Nicollet Avenue and 12th Avenue and construct a full-access interchange at County State-Aid Highway35 (CSAH35; Portland Avenue), with two onramps and two offramps to replace the ramps. Problems have been addressed throughout the entire corridor, with all the highways being included. Construction for the Metro Orange Line tunnel began in 2019 and was completed in 2021. The remainder of the corridor's construction began in 2023, and most of the corridor is still under construction today.

494 Corridor Commission

The 494 Corridor Commission, also known as 494 Commuter Services, is a nonprofit organization aimed at reducing traffic congestion along the southwest section of the I-494 corridor. In 1988, the cities of Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina, Minnetonka, and Richfield joined to address traffic congestion and work toward improving I-494. The organization's mission is to promote economic growth and regional prosperity through improved transportation options along the highway, such as carpooling and bus transit. The organization's board of directors consists of representatives from each of the five member cities, MnDOT, the Metropolitan Council, and the private business community.

Exit list

• Froehlig, Adam (November 22, 2003). . Froggie's Highway Photography.
• . Interstate-Guide.com.

External links