Minnesota State Highway 36
Minnesota State Highway 36 (MN 36) is a 21.718-mile-long (34.952 km) highway in Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate 35W in Roseville and continues east to its eastern terminus at the Wisconsin state line (near Stillwater), where it becomes Wisconsin Highway 64 upon crossing the St. Croix River at the St. Croix Crossing bridge. A portion of Highway 36 is a major freeway in suburban Minneapolis – Saint Paul.
![]() MN 36 highlighted in red | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by MnDOT | ||||
Length | 21.718 mi[1] (34.952 km) | |||
Existed | 1933[2]–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | ![]() | |||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
East end | ![]() the Minnesota — Wisconsin state line, near Oak Park Heights, MN — St. Joseph, WI | |||
Location | ||||
Counties | Ramsey, Washington | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
Route description
State Highway 36 serves as an east–west route between the cities of Roseville, Little Canada, Maplewood, North St. Paul, Oakdale, Oak Park Heights, and Stillwater.
Highway 36 is a limited-access freeway from its interchange with Interstate 35W in Roseville eastward to Interstate 35E in Little Canada, and about five miles beyond. The freeway section ends at its signal-controlled intersection with Minnesota State Highway 120 in North St. Paul. Highway 36 becomes an at-grade expressway at this point. For about four miles outside of the I-494 / 694 loop, the expressway section of Highway 36 has a speed limit of 65 MPH (105 km/h).
![](../I/Hwy36-snowman.jpg.webp)
Highway 36 crosses the St. Croix River via the St. Croix Crossing bridge and becomes Wisconsin Highway 64 upon crossing the state line into Wisconsin.[3]
History
State Highway 36 was authorized in 1933. The route was paved by 1940.
From 1934 to 1982, Highway 36 used to be significantly longer. The route had turned southward along I-35W, Washington Avenue, and Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis; and connected to what is now State Highway 77 (Cedar Avenue Freeway). In Eagan, old Highway 36 had intersected the Chicago and North Western Railway at-grade, at the Nicols Station Crossing.[4] The section of old Highway 36 that ran along Washington and Cedar Avenues in Minneapolis was returned to county maintenance in 1982, and is currently a section of Hennepin County Road 152.
Highway 36 did not originally reach the Wisconsin state line at the St. Croix River. Part of old State Highway 212 in Oak Park Heights and Stillwater was renumbered as Highway 36 in 1983. This section of present-day Highway 36 still carries the old Highway 212 mile markers.
The section of Highway 36 in North St. Paul was closed in 2007 from April to September. The highway was rebuilt to freeway standards during this time between White Bear Avenue in Maplewood and Highway 120 (Century Avenue) in North St. Paul. The changes included grade-separated intersections with no interchanges or access within North St. Paul. The full closure in 2007 allowed the project to be completed more quickly and at a lower cost compared with a staged reconstruction. It also increased safety for construction workers. The Highway 36 reconstruction project in North St. Paul was completed in 2008. The budget of the project was $24 million.[5]
An interchange was constructed in 2014 at Highway 36 and Hilton Trail in Pine Springs. The project also included two roundabouts on Hilton Trail on either side of the highway, one at 60th Street North and another at an extension of Viking Drive.[6]
Prior to August 2017, upon reaching the St. Croix River Highway 36 merged with, and ran concurrent with Minnesota 95 north into downtown Stillwater. At Chestnut St Highway 36 turned east and crossed the St. Croix River on the historic Stillwater Lift Bridge. On August 2, 2017 the new St. Croix Crossing bridge opened and 36 now uses this bridge to cross into Wisconsin, eliminating its concurrency with MN 95.[7]
Major intersections
All exits are unnumbered.
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ramsey | Roseville | 0.000 | 0.000 | ![]() | Western terminus; west end of freeway; I-35W exit 23B |
0.163– 0.427 | 0.262– 0.687 | Cleveland Avenue south (CR 46) | Parclo interchange | ||
0.480 | 0.772 | ![]() | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; I-35W exit 23B | ||
0.785– 0.825 | 1.263– 1.328 | Fairview Avenue (CR 48) | |||
1.295 | 2.084 | ![]() | |||
1.770 | 2.849 | Hamline Avenue (CR 50) | Right-in/right-out interchange | ||
2.272 | 3.656 | Lexington Avenue (CR 51) | |||
3.265 | 5.255 | Dale Street (CR 53) | |||
Little Canada | 4.275 | 6.880 | ![]() | Former MN 49 | |
5.121 | 8.241 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Cloverleaf interchange; I-35 exits 111A-B | ||
5.769 | 9.284 | Edgerton Street (CR 58) | |||
Maplewood | 6.844 | 11.014 | ![]() ![]() | Cloverleaf interchange; westbound entrance includes bus entryway from Keller Parkway | |
7.321 | 11.782 | English Street | |||
8.445– 8.479 | 13.591– 13.646 | White Bear Avenue (CR 65) | |||
North St. Paul | 9.296 | 14.960 | McKnight Road (CR 68) | ||
9.979 | 16.060 | Margaret Street | Westbound exit only | ||
Ramsey–Washington county line | North St. Paul–Oakdale line | 10.465 | 16.842 | ![]() | At-grade intersection; east end of freeway |
Washington | Oakdale | 11.271 | 18.139 | ![]() | Dumbbell interchange |
Oakdale–Pine Springs line | 11.776– 11.793 | 18.952– 18.979 | ![]() ![]() | Cloverleaf interchange; I-694 exits 52A-B | |
Pine Springs | 12.303 | 19.800 | ![]() | Interchange | |
Grant | 16.775 | 26.997 | ![]() | West end of CSAH 15 overlap | |
Oak Park Heights | 17.577 | 28.287 | ![]() ![]() | Interchange; east end of CSAH 15 overlap | |
20.490 | 32.975 | ![]() | West end of freeway | ||
St. Croix River | St. Croix Crossing; Minnesota–Wisconsin line | ||||
![]() | Freeway continues into Wisconsin | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
References
- Minnesota Department of Transportation. "Statewide Trunk Logpoint Listing" (PDF). St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- Riner, Steve. "Details of Routes 26-50". The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
- Minnesota Highway 36 / Wisconsin Highway 64 - New St. Croix River Crossing - Project Status. MnDOT. Accessed November 4, 2009.
- "Chicago and North Western Railway Company, Appellant, v. Lillian R. Strand, as Trustee for the Heirs of Roy B. Strand, Decedent, Appellee". Bulk Resource. March 7, 1962. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
- "Highway 36 closes in 2007 for reconstruction through North St. Paul". Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on June 17, 2006. Retrieved June 2, 2006.
- "Highway 36 at Hilton Trail" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 19, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 8, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
- "St. Croix Crossing" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
*Adam Froehlig (January 6, 2004). State Highway 36 (photos). Minnesota State Highway Endings. Accessed August 28, 2004.