I-35W runs southwest-northeast through here, I-94 east-west. US 12 and 52 both have an unmarked presence (multiplexed with I-94?), and MN 55 goes southeastward toward the southeast side and the south St. Paul suburbs as Hiawatha Av and westward through downtown city streets and out to the west suburbs.
The I-35W/94 interchange in downtown Minneapolis, MN is an interesting study in side-by-side freeway running. Approaching DT Minneapolis from the south on I-35W, the 8 lane freeway 'splits' about 1km south of I-94, with the roadway to WB I-94 and the downtown city street feeder branching off to the left and the connection to EB I-94 and the NB I-35W through lanes to the right. (The former being 2 lanes each way, the latter 3) These two 'seperate' freeways then run side-by-side up to I-94. At I-94, after a *very* sharp curve, I-35W runs inside the median of I-94 for about 1200 meters with a set of rather tight 'slip' ramps connecting the two. The two freeways then split with NB I-35W continuing to the north suburbs and EB I-94 going on to St.Paul. Just off the map to the left, I-94 takes a grinding 60 km/h curve to the north through a tunnel at Lyndale Av, connects with I-394 (goes to the west suburbs multiplexed with US 12) with I-94 going north out of the city and on out of the metro area to the northwest (along with US 52). Hazmat trucks are prohibited from the I-94 tunnel at Lyndale Av with an alternate route posted on city streets in the area.
The little 'freeway' starting at the words "INTERCHANGE 17" and going eastward across the river and through the University of Minnesota campus is a former route of US 12 and 52 and for a while may have been marked as 'MN 122', but is currently unmarked. That is the Hubert H. Humphrey Metro Dome (AL Twins/NFL Vikings) under the word "INTERCHANGE". There are several usefull connections between this freeway and other downtown surface streets and I-35W, I-94 and Hiawatha Av for commuter and 'gameday' traffic.
The origional MnDOT freeway plans were for there to be two seperate freeways from DT Minneapolis to the south side and south suburbs. They were to follow Lyndale Av from the I-94 tunnels interchange to feed directly into I-35W at the MN 62 'Crosstown Highway' (at the south city limit line of Minneapolis) and Cedar Av (the N-S street just below the lower '55') from a railroad yard under the scale to feed directly into the MN 77 freeway, also at the MN 62 'Crosstown'. There are fairly lengthy 'stubs' for both of these never built freeways northward from the Crosstown that feed into the respective streets. Apparently after much wrangling, the two proposed freeways were combined into one and the current I-35W was built. A 'side effect' of this compromise is that the ramps at the interchanges at both ends of this section of I-35W are extremely tight with much higher than average accident rates. Trying to continue eastward on the 'Crosstown' past I-35W is especially tricky.
There were also plans for a freeway to be built along Hiawatha Av (MN 55) from DT Minneapolis to connect with the 'Crosstown' just north of Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport ('Wold-Chamberlain Field' **Betcha didn't know that one** (heheheh)) to provide better access from downtown to both the airport and the south St. Paul suburbs. After much local opposition, these plans were pared down to a major surface boulevard street.
MnDOT is currently studying proposals for a truly *massive* rebuild of the I-35W corridor from DT Minneapolis to and through the 'Crosstown'. These proposals may include 'cantilevering' one route partially over the other on the east-west combined part, the clearing of well over 1000 houses to 'unkink' the interchange at the 'Crosstown' and the provision for a mass transit line in the I-35W right of way.
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