Interstate 90 in Minnesota

Interstate 90 (I-90) in the U.S. state of Minnesota runs for 276 miles (444 km) across the southern side of the state, parallel to the Iowa state line. The route connects the cities of Rochester, Worthington, Albert Lea, and Austin. The city of Winona is also in close proximity to I-90, with about 10 miles (16 km) between the Interstate and the city.

Interstate 90
American Veterans Memorial Highway
I-90 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MnDOT
Length275.70 mi[1] (443.70 km)
Major junctions
West end I-90 at the South Dakota state line
  MN 23 near Beaver Creek
US 75 at Luverne
US 59 / MN 60 at Worthington
US 71 at Jackson
US 169 at Blue Earth
I-35 near Albert Lea
US 218 at Austin
US 63 at Stewartville
US 52 near Rochester
US 14 / US 61 near La Crescent
East end I-90 at the Wisconsin state line
Location
CountiesRock, Nobles, Jackson, Martin, Faribault, Freeborn, Mower, Olmsted, Winona
Highway system
  • Minnesota Trunk Highways
MN 89MN 91

Route description

I-90 enters the state from South Dakota near Beaver Creek. This part of Minnesota has flat to gently rolling terrain and is the beginnings of corn belt farmland. The flat terrain is often subject to blowing and drifting snow in colder months, and the western portions of the highway are closed multiple times each winter.

Rock County, where I-90 enters Minnesota, is one of the only counties in the state lacking a natural lake. The change from semi-arid to a wetter climate happens slowly moving eastbound on I-90 through southern Minnesota. The route passes through the cities of Luverne, Adrian, Worthington, Jackson, Fairmont, and Blue Earth. I-90 has an interchange with I-35 at Albert Lea.

East of the city of Austin, I-90 changes direction slightly and heads towards Rochester, and the route enters a much more hilly landscape. This is the driftless area of southeast Minnesota. Unlike the rest of the state, where the most recent glaciations left terrain that is either flat or rolling under a deposit of glacial till, this area escaped the most recent glaciation. The bedrock to the top of the I-90 road cuts is noticeable at this point. The other notable feature of this area are deep, steep valleys cut by water that poured through this area as the ice cap melted.

The I-90 Bridge between La Crosse, Wisconsin and Dresbach, Minnesota

I-90 drops into the scenic Mississippi River valley just west of Dresbach. The carriageways split apart as they descend, and they rejoin west of the junction with U.S. Highway 61. I-90 then parallels the Mississippi River before turning east and crossing into Wisconsin.

I-90 is atypical in that just across the Minnesota / Wisconsin state line, (immediately west of the community of Dakota) the median is wide enough that farms exist between the road beds.[2]

Legally, the Minnesota section of Interstate 90 is defined as unmarked Legislative Route 391 in the Minnesota Statutes. Interstate 90 is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway.

History

Golden Spike Rest Area near the I-90 midpoint

Interstate 90 in Minnesota was authorized as part of the original interstate network in 1956. The first section of I-90 in Minnesota constructed was the bypass of Austin in 1961.[3] The wayside rest area near Blue Earth, Minnesota, is where the east-building I-90 and west-building I-90 teams linked up in 1978, thus completing construction in Minnesota and joining the 3,099.07 miles of the interstate.[4] Plaques dedicating the pavement completion and describing the significance of this segment are on display at the rest area.[5]

I-90 in Minnesota closely follows the route of old U.S. Highway 16 over most of its route except from just east of Austin, where I-90 turns toward Rochester and is constructed on a new alignment not previously covered by a highway. The section of I-90 east of Rochester was constructed just south of U.S. Highway 14 and south of the city of Winona.

I-90 served as a replacement for old U.S. 16 between the South Dakota state line and I-90's interchange with present-day State Highway 16 at Dexter.

Exit list

CountyLocationmi[6]kmExitDestinationsNotes
Rock0.0000.000 I-90 west Sioux FallsContinuation into South Dakota
1.0571.7011 MN 23 / CSAH 17 Jasper, PipestoneAlso leads to Manley one mile (1.6 km) to the south
Beaver Creek3.8956.2683 CSAH 4 Beaver CreekEastbound exit and westbound entrance
5.0748.1665 CSAH 6 Beaver Creek, Hills
Luverne12.47920.08312 US 75 Luverne, Rock RapidsAlso access to Pipestone
Magnolia18.48329.74618 CSAH 3 Magnolia, Kanaranzi
NoblesAdrian26.62042.84126 MN 91 Adrian, Lake Wilson
Rushmore33.70754.24633 CSAH 13 Rushmore, Wilmont
Worthington42.25568.00342 I-90 Bus. east / CSAH 25 Worthington, Wilmont
43.73970.39143 US 59 Worthington, Slayton
45.14872.65945 I-90 Bus. west / MN 60 Worthington, WindomAlso access to Mankato, Sioux City, Twin Cities
47.79676.92047 CSAH 53Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
NoblesJackson
county line
50.73881.65550 MN 264 / CSAH 1 Brewster, Round Lake
Jackson57.72892.90457 CSAH 9 Heron Lake, Okabena
64.767104.23264 MN 86 Lakefield, Spirit Lake
Jackson73.813118.79173 US 71 Jackson, Windom, Spirit Lake
Alpha80.083128.88180 CSAH 29 Alpha
MartinSherburn87.309140.51087 MN 4 Sherburn, St. James, Trimont, Estherville
Welcome93.675150.75593 MN 263 / CSAH 27 Welcome, Ceylon
Fairmont99.807160.62499 I-90 Bus. east / CSAH 39 Fairmont
102.053164.238102 I-90 Bus. west / MN 15 Fairmont, Madelia, Truman, ArmstrongAlso access to Mankato, Twin Cities
Granada107.202172.525107 CSAH 53 Granada, East ChainRoad from exit into Granada was formerly MN 262
FaribaultGuckeen113.272182.294113 CSAH 1 – Guckeen, Huntley
Blue Earth119.909192.975119 US 169 Blue Earth, Mankato, Winnebago, ElmoreGreen Giant
128.538206.862128 MN 254 south / CSAH 17 Easton, Frost
134.546216.531134 MN 253 south / CSAH 21 Minnesota Lake, Bricelyn
138.630223.103138 MN 22 Wells, Kiester
FreebornAlden146.292235.434146 MN 109 / CSAH 6 Alden, Mankato
Albert Lea154.739249.028154 MN 13 Albert Lea, Waseca
157.826253.996157 CSAH 22 Albert Lea
159.740257.077159 I-35 Albert Lea, Des Moines, Minneapolis, St. PaulSigned as exits 159A (south) and 159B (north); I-35 exits 13A-B
Hayward163.705263.458163 CSAH 26 Hayward
Oakland166.321267.668166 CSAH 46 (Oakland Road) – Petran, Oakland
MowerAustin175.488282.421175 I-90 Bus. east / MN 105 / CSAH 46 / Oakland Avenue Austin
177.188285.156177 US 218 north / 14th Street NW Austin, OwatonnaWest end of US 218 overlap
177.872286.257178A4th Street NW Austin
178.506287.278178B6th Street NE Austin
179.148288.31117911th Drive NE Austin
179.741289.265180A I-90 Bus. west / Oakland Place AustinWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
180.024289.721180B US 218 south / 21st Street Northeast AustinEast end of US 218 overlap
180.500290.48718128th Street NE  Austin
183.562295.414183 MN 56 Brownsdale, Rose Creek
187.338301.491187 CSAH 20
189.584305.106189 CSAH 13 Elkton
Dexter193.048310.681193 MN 16 Dexter, Grand Meadow, Spring Valley, Preston
Olmsted205.054330.002205 CSAH 6
Stewartville209.270336.787209 US 63 / MN 30 Stewartville, RochesterSigned as exits 209A (south/east) and 209B (north/west)
Rochester217.620350.225218 US 52 Chatfield, RochesterAlso access to Twin Cities; Chatfield only appears on eastbound signage, Rochester only appears on westbound signage
Eyota223.606359.859224 MN 42 north / CSAH 7 Eyota
Dover228.572367.851229 CSAH 10 Dover
WinonaSt. Charles232.291373.836233 MN 74 St. Charles, Chatfield
242.061389.559242 CSAH 29 Lewiston
249.103400.892249 MN 43 south RushfordWest end of MN 43 overlap
Winona252.059405.650252 MN 43 north WinonaEast end of MN 43 overlap
257.692414.715257 MN 76 south Houston
Nodine266.017428.113267 CSAH 12 Nodine
270.288434.986269 US 14 west / US 61 north WinonaWestbound access to US 14 west/US 61 north; west end of US 14 / US 61 overlap; eastbound exit via exit 270
Dakota271.232436.506270 To US 14 west / US 61 north DakotaUS 14 and US 61 signed eastbound only; westbound entrance via exit 269
Dresbach272.663–
272.681
438.809–
438.838
273DresbachSigned as exits 273A (first exit) and 273B (second exit) eastbound
La Crescent275.243442.961276 US 14 east / US 61 south La Crescent, La CrosseEast end of US 14 / US 61 overlap
Mississippi River275.701443.698I-90 Mississippi River Bridge
I-90 east TomahContinuation into Wisconsin
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References

KML is from Wikidata

*Steve Riner Details of Routes 76 to 100. Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Accessed January 12, 2009.

  1. "Route Log- Main Routes of the Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways - Table 1". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  2. Google (June 8, 2009). "Interstate 90 in Minnesota" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  3. "Construction Project Log Record" (PDF). Archived from the original (pdf) on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
  4. "MINNESOTA HIGHWAYS" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-04. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
  5. A Golden Dedication for I-90 (Minnesota Historical Marker). Minnesota Historical Society; Minnesota Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  6. Minnesota Department of Transportation (August 14, 2014). "Statewide Trunk Logpoint Listing" (PDF). St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
Interstate 90
Previous state:
South Dakota
Minnesota Next state:
Wisconsin
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