Minnesota State Highway 15

Trunk Highway 15 marker

Trunk Highway 15
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
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
  • Minnesota Trunk Highways
US 14MN 16

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 northsouth 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

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Martin 0.0000.000 Iowa 15Continuation into Iowa
Fairmont12.35119.877 I-90Interchange
WatonwanAntrim Township27.27643.896 MN 30 eastSouthern end of MN 30 overlap
Fieldon Township33.380–
33.442
53.720–
53.820
MN 30 west / MN 60 westInterchange; northern end of MN 30 overlap; southern end of MN 60 overlap
Madelia Township37.513–
37.559
60.371–
60.445
CSAH 9Interchange
38.77662.404 CSAH 3Interchange
39.20163.088 MN 60 eastInterchange; northern end of MN 60 overlap
BrownLinden Township45.35472.990 MN 257
Cottonwood Township54.63587.927 MN 68 eastSouthern end of MN 68 overlap
New Ulm58.86294.729 US 14 west / MN 68 westNorthern end of MN 68 overlap; southern end of US 14 overlap
Front StreetInterchange
NicolletCourtland Township60.25296.966 US 14 eastNorthern end of US 14 overlap
SibleyWinthrop76.546123.189 MN 19
McLeodSumter Township89.155143.481 US 212
Hutchinson101.288163.007 MN 7 / MN 22
MeekerDassel115.079185.202 US 12
Kingston Township126.028202.822 MN 24Southern end of MN 24 overlap
StearnsKimball131.529211.675 MN 55 / MN 24Northern end of MN 24 overlap
St. Cloud145.059233.450 I-94Interchange
149.070239.905 MN 23 west / CSAH 75 east (2nd Street South)Southern end of MN 23 and CR 75 overlap
149.314240.298 MN 23 east / CSAH 75 westNorthern end of MN 23 and CR 75 overlap
St. CloudSartell city line151.670244.089 CR 120Diverging diamond interchange, converted from existing intersection on October 17, 2013[4]
Mississippi River153.940–
154.263
247.742–
248.262
Bridge of Hope
BentonSauk Rapids152.929246.115 CSAH 33 (Benton Drive)Interchange
Sauk Rapids Township154.322248.357 US 10Partial 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

References

Route map: Bing / Google

  1. 1 2 "Statewide Trunk Logpoint Listing" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. November 6, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  2. "Flandrau State Park". Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  3. 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.
  4. "Hwy 15/CR 120 diverging diamond interchange opens Oct. 17" (Press release). Minnesota Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
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