Planned / Proposed Projects

Located in the cities of Eden Prairie and Edina, this interchange is due for reconstruction. It was eliminated from the I-494/US-169 project and was scheduled to be re-evaluated.

Study completed in 1999 recommends advancing two long-term alternatives in the area between CSAH-33 and TH-68. Alternative concepts involve reconfiguring or removing the at-grade accesses and building overpasses or underpasses and interchanges. Short-term safety improvements were implemented in 2001, but additional improvements are needed to improve safety and mobility in the corridor.

2003 study recommends transitioning US-169 to a freeway including removing traffic signals at Lind St and Webster Ave and replacing with interchanges. Frontage roads will connect from parallel routes to service the Lind St commercial area. A 2003 study on the efficiency of the local traffic concept found that access provided by grade separation enhanced commercial activities adjoining the highway. Overall, the changes will separate local commercial activities, while providing access to US-169/TH-14 through a ramp design rather than right-angle signal design.

A near-town US-169 bypass will improve St. Peter’s historic downtown district by providing better traffic flow for local businesses and individuals and promoting preservation and use of the historic downtown area. A near-town bypass will also reduce the need for additional land for an alternative highway by utilizing a portion of the existing right of way. Environmental documentation and public input on several alternatives is needed before a concept would move through the design and construction stages.

A long-term grade separation solution to US-169 is needed to accommodate the increase in traffic on the north end of St. Peter. Alternative access via an interchange or other alternative would provide better traffic flow and safer access for local businesses and individuals. It will also serve the expanding growth area north of St. Peter and eliminate the at-grade movements at this location.

A separated grade or alternative intersection design at the south intersection of US-169 and TH-22 should be studied. Congestion and safety are ongoing issues at this intersection, particularly with left turning movements from southbound US-169 to southbound TH-22. TH-22 is a main north-south corridor and an improved intersection at this location would improve access and mobility for US-169 and TH-22.

The IRC Management Study completed in 2000 identified the need for an interchange at CSAH-28 and US-169. A short-term at grade improvement was implemented, but a full grade separation is a long-term need. The project would construct a new interchange at this location in support of the US-169 Le Sueur Hilltop Business Park. Grade separated access to this area provides access to industrial and commercial development for the City of Le Sueur for the next 50 years. Project partners have developed an interchange configuration with bridge and ramp geometrics that have minimal cost, meet design criteria, and will adequately serve future development.

In 2004, Scott County conducted a CSAH-8 Corridor Preservation Study identifying a future principal arterial alignment that would connect I-35 to US-169. When completed, CSAH-8 would be the first continuous east-west arterial road to connect the two principal arterials. The access to US-169 is projected to be located at the current CR-64 intersection in Belle Plaine. The corridor study showed a concept of closing CR-66 at its current location. The alignment of the future CR-66 would connect to US-169 north of the current CR-66 intersection. A later study outlined a connection of CSAH-8 to the existing TH-25/CR-64 interchange with CH 66 as a future overpass grade separation. Future study is needed for concept development that will lead to a layout and preliminary design. This will allow for right of way preservation.

Construction of an interchange at this location would support mobility and improve safety on the corridor. CSAH-59 is a critical north/south minor arterial in the Scott County highway system. This roadway provides one of the few north/south connections between US-169 and TH-19 through the central portion of the county. In 2003, a study was conducted to develop concepts for the intersection of US-169 and CSAH-59. Due to existing commercial properties and railroad tracks in the area influencing the design, a folded diamond concept was developed. Since the 2003 study, a Reduced Conflict U-Turn (RCUT) Intersection design was developed to improve safety and manage access at this location. This in-progress project is a cost-effective alternative design solution for the near-term. Future study of this intersection should analyze if a quadrant interchange or other optimized design is feasible. The land use where the majority of an interchange would be constructed is agricultural. Preservation of the right-of-way would prevent costly acquisition in the future.

Safety concerns, in addition to higher traffic volume, county growth and development pressure, make a grade-separated interchange at US-169/ TH-282/CSAH-9 a priority. Discussions concerning this interchange have been ongoing since the late 1990s. The City has conducted additional alternative evaluation and further design study resulting in official mapping on the north side of TH 169 in an effort to preserve the right-of-way. Additional work is necessary to develop a design that can be funded and meet requirements necessary to build in the newly designated flood plan. An interchange at this location will create a safer environment for motorists and pedestrians, preserve and enhance businesses, and protect right of way and the environment.

An overpass is proposed in the area between 173rd and Bluff Drive to serve this rural development area. The location has not been identified. Frontage road access at the intersection of US-169 and Bluff Drive will allow closure of direct access onto US-169. An overpass and frontage roads at US-169 and Bluff Drive will continue efforts to remove at grade full access intersections from the US-169 Corridor to improve safety and mobility. The frontage road system and overpass at Bluff Drive will eliminate exposure of slow moving industrial/mining vehicles and residents to an at-grade crossing of the high speed US-169 mainline.

In 2010 MnDOT completed Phase 2 of the MnPASS System Study. The study considered the feasibility of adding MnPASS Express Lanes on several highways in the Twin Cities Metro area. The US-169 corridor from Shakopee to I-494 was included in the analysis. US-169 Mobility Study provides additional technical analysis of MnPASS alternatives along the US-169 corridor. Implementation of a managed MnPASS lane would decrease congestion and increase travel time reliability on this portion of the corridor.

Constructed in 1996, the US-169 Bloomington Ferry Bridge over the Minnesota River operates at and over-capacity during peak times, causing congestion and freight delay on a regionally significant river crossing corridor. Low cost/high benefit improvements such as restriping and expansion of the bridge ramps are proposed for construction consideration. The 2017 US-169 Mobility Study contains specific recommendations for low-cost improvements.