Minnesota State Highway 15
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Mn/DOT | ||||
| Length: | 154.322 mi[1] (248.357 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1920 – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: |
 IA 15 at Minnesota - Iowa state line | |||
 I-90 at Fairmont MN 30 near Lewisville MN 60 at Madelia  U.S. 14 , MN 68 at New Ulm MN 19 at Winthrop.svg.png){kind=small} U.S. 212 near Brownton  MN 7 , MN 22 at Hutchinson U.S. 12 at Dassel  MN 24 , MN 55 at Kimball I-94 at St. Cloud  MN 23, CR 75 at St. Cloud | ||||
| North end: |
 U.S. 10 at Sauk Rapids Twp. | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties: | Martin, Watonwan, Brown, Nicollet, Sibley, McLeod, Meeker, Stearns, Benton | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Minnesota State Highway 15 (MN 15) is a highway in south-central and central Minnesota, which runs from Iowa Highway 15 at the Iowa state line and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with U.S. Highway 10 outside of Sartell and Sauk Rapids, north of St. Cloud.
Highway 15 is 154 miles (248 km) in length.
Route description
State Highway 15 serves as a north–south route between Fairmont, Madelia, New Ulm, Hutchinson, and St. Cloud in south-central and central Minnesota.
Highway 15 parallels State Highway 4 throughout its route in south-central and central Minnesota.
Flandrau State Park is located near Highway 15 in Brown County on the Cottonwood River. The park is located just south of New Ulm.[2]
St. Cloud area
Highway 15 is a four-lane highway on the west side of St. Cloud from Interstate Highway 94 to U.S. Highway 10. Highway 15 crosses the Bridge of Hope at the Mississippi River between Sartell and Sauk Rapids.
In the 1970s, Highway 15 through the St. Cloud area was planned to be constructed as a freeway, providing a high-speed connection between I-94 and U.S. 10. However, funding fell short of completing the freeway beyond Highway 23 / County Road 75 (2nd Street South). As a result, it was eventually decided that right-of-way needed to build interchanges would be sold off so the remaining segment of Highway 15 across the Mississippi River, connecting to U.S. 10, could be built. Therefore, from 2nd Street South to U.S. 10, the highway is currently built as an expressway with signalized intersections.[3] As of now, Highway 15 is able to serve traffic, with stretches posted at a 60 mph (97 km/h) speed limit. However, continuing increases in traffic in the St. Cloud area will require the highway to be eventually converted to a freeway in the long term (post 2030).
History
State Highway 15 was authorized in 1920, 1933, and 1950.
The section of Highway 15 between New Ulm and the Iowa state line was originally Minnesota Constitutional Route 15, dating back to 1920.
The section of Highway 15 between St. Cloud and Kimball was originally part of Minnesota Constitutional Route 24.
The middle section of Highway 15 was authorized in 1933, the northernmost section in 1950. This northerly section was originally part of old State Highway 152 and was routed through downtown St. Cloud. Now, it bypasses central St. Cloud to the west side of town.
By 1940, only two short gravel sections of Highway 15 remained, both paved by 1953.
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin | 0.000 | 0.000 |  Iowa 15 | Continuation into Iowa | |
| Fairmont | 12.351 | 19.877 | I-90 | Interchange | |
| Watonwan | Antrim Township | 27.276 | 43.896 | MN 30 east | Southern end of MN 30 overlap |
| Fieldon Township | 33.380– 33.442 | 53.720– 53.820 | MN 30 west / MN 60 west | Interchange; northern end of MN 30 overlap; southern end of MN 60 overlap | |
| Madelia Township | 37.513– 37.559 | 60.371– 60.445 |  CSAH 9 | Interchange | |
| 38.776 | 62.404 |  CSAH 3 | Interchange | ||
| 39.201 | 63.088 | MN 60 east | Interchange; northern end of MN 60 overlap | ||
| Brown | Linden Township | 45.354 | 72.990 |  MN 257 | |
| Cottonwood Township | 54.635 | 87.927 | MN 68 east | Southern end of MN 68 overlap | |
| New Ulm | 58.862 | 94.729 | US 14 west / MN 68 west | Northern end of MN 68 overlap; southern end of US 14 overlap | |
| Front Street | Interchange | ||||
| Nicollet | Courtland Township | 60.252 | 96.966 | US 14 east | Northern end of US 14 overlap |
| Sibley | Winthrop | 76.546 | 123.189 | MN 19 | |
| McLeod | Sumter Township | 89.155 | 143.481 |  US 212 | |
| Hutchinson | 101.288 | 163.007 | MN 7 / MN 22 | ||
| Meeker | Dassel | 115.079 | 185.202 | US 12 | |
| Kingston Township | 126.028 | 202.822 | MN 24 | Southern end of MN 24 overlap | |
| Stearns | Kimball | 131.529 | 211.675 | MN 55 / MN 24 | Northern end of MN 24 overlap |
| St. Cloud | 145.059 | 233.450 | I-94 | Interchange | |
| 149.070 | 239.905 | .svg.png){kind=small} MN 23 west / CSAH 75 east (2nd Street South) | Southern end of MN 23 and CR 75 overlap | ||
| 149.314 | 240.298 | MN 23 east / CSAH 75 west | Northern end of MN 23 and CR 75 overlap | ||
| St. Cloud–Sartell city line | 151.670 | 244.089 |  CR 120 | Diverging diamond interchange, converted from existing intersection on October 17, 2013[4] | |
| Mississippi River | 153.940– 154.263 | 247.742– 248.262 | Bridge of Hope | ||
| Benton | Sauk Rapids | 152.929 | 246.115 |  CSAH 33 (Benton Drive) | Interchange |
| Sauk Rapids Township | 154.322 | 248.357 | US 10 | Partial interchange: MN 15 north enters US 10 west; MN 15 south enters from US 10 east | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- 1 2 "Statewide Trunk Logpoint Listing" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. November 6, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ↑ "Flandrau State Park". Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- ↑ Minnesota Department of Transportation. "Project Study: Highway 15 - St. Cloud Metro". District 3 Local News & Project Studies. Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
- ↑ "Hwy 15/CR 120 diverging diamond interchange opens Oct. 17" (Press release). Minnesota Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 17, 2013.