How long is hwy 61

One of the original U. Construction of Interstate 35 eventually led to U. The most famous former section of U. This stretch of the highway was best known as a tourist route, providing access to various state parks and other attractions. This section is now marked as State Highway This former section of the route historically served as the primary highway between the port city of Duluth and the Twin Cities metro area specifically St.

It traveled through a string of small towns along the Northern Pacific Railway. It was replaced by Interstate 35 in the 's and 70's. Modern U. The section north of St. Paul is a remnant of the old route to Duluth. A surviving stretch of the 8-foot concrete road southeast of Winona. Most of the route that would eventually became U. By , federal agencies had constructed a road along the Mississippi River between St. Paul and La Crosse, as well as a road from St. Paul to Duluth along an alignment closely paralleling the St.

Croix and Kettle Rivers. By , most of U. Nearly the entire road was still gravel or dirt. Some sections, known as "State Roads", were maintained by Minnesota's fledgling Department of Highways. The only paved highway outside of city streets on the route before was a nearly 7 mile concrete road leading southeast out of Winona in southeast Minnesota, ending at the tiny town of La Moille.

The pavement was a narrow 8-foot strip of concrete, constructed between and by Winona County with aid from the State Road program. The pavement itself was narrower than even a single modern traffic lane, and only covered a section of the road grade, the rest of which was probably covered with gravel. Its purpose was to ensure that the road was passable in any weather not bogged down with mud, etc.

Winona to St. This highway, promoted by a group of Winona businessmen, was registered with the Highway Department in during World War 1. It was probably only marked during war time it is not shown on an auto trails map from In , the neighboring state of Wisconsin not only created a highway department to secure federal funding for highway construction, but also created the first unified system of numbered trunk routes in the country. Not long thereafter in , Highway Commissioner Charles Babcock proposed an amendment to the state constitution to provide a state-maintained network of 70 numbered routes, referred to as "Constitutional Routes".

The amendment was voted into law by the people of Minnesota on November 2, In crews traveled Minnesota's highways surveying for right-of-ways and future construction. They also put up Minnesota's first route markers: yellow squares with a black five-pointed star surrounding the route number. Route 1 made up the north half between St. Paul and the Canadian Border, while Route 3 made up the southern half between St. Paul and La Crosse along the Mississippi River. A surviving stretch of foot wide concrete south of Weaver in Wabasha County.

This concrete was laid in as part of the construction of State Route 3, one year before U. Map showing the sections of future U. With a constitutional mandate and money from the federal highway act of the Highway Department was finally able to start a major program of highway construction.

New roadways were graded, and the most important routes were paved with portland cement concrete. The early concrete pavement was 18 feet wide.

This standard was eventually widened to 20 feet after What is the cost of the project? Please note some of the information, including the project completion date, has changed since then. Route 61 Improvements Display. Project photos. Project Location Google Map.

Google Map. Route Route 61 Project Maps. What about the unfunded improvements suggested at the June public meeting? Project Contacts Contact Photo. Andy Tuerck Title. Contact Info. Click here to sign up for email project updates.

Moreover, how long is Hwy 61? Likewise, why is Hwy 61 called Avenue of the Saints? The Avenue of the Saints was named because it is a connection between St. Paul, Minnesota and St. Louis, Missouri. Several partnerships were formed to create this four-lane corridor, making it safer for all motorists. The road is also known as the Blues Highway because it runs through the Mississippi Delta country, which was an important source of blues music. Highway 61 has been referenced in music by various artists with roots in the region.