Interstate 494
I-494 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route ofI-94
Maintained byMnDOT
Length	42.94 mi[1] (69.11 km)
Existed	1985[citation needed]–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
North end	I-94 /I-694 /US 52 inMaple Grove
Major intersections	I-394 /US 12 inMinnetonka US 212 /MN 5 inEden Prairie US 169 inBloomington I-35W in Bloomington/Richfield MN 5 in Bloomington I-35E inMendota Heights US 52 inInver Grove Heights US 10 /US 61 inNewport
East end	I-94 /I-694 /US 12 inWoodbury/Oakdale
Location
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Counties	Washington,Ramsey,Dakota,Hennepin
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Minnesota Trunk Highway System Interstate US State Legislative Scenic
←I-394 →I-535

Interstate 494 (I-494) is anauxiliary Interstate Highway making up part of abeltway ofI-94, circling through the southern and western portions of theMinneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area inMinnesota. The 42.94-mile (69.11 km) road is coupled withI-694 (which circles the northern edge of the Twin Cities metro area) at each end and composes more than half of the major beltway of the region. I-694/I-494 also act as loop routes forI-35E andI-35W.

The speed limit on I-494 is 60 mph (97 km/h). Interstate Highways outside of the loop in Minnesota may be signed as high as 70 mph (110 km/h). Most highways inside the loop are signed at speeds of 55 mph (89 km/h) or lower, though a few exceptions were added in September 2005, allowing speeds of up to 60 mph (97 km/h) in some places. Those roads had been signed at 60 mph (97 km/h) or higher up until the1973 oil crisis.

This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(October 2020)

The exit numbering of I-494 is unusual in that it begins at theMinnesota River heading westbound (betweenEagan andBloomington) and continuesclockwise around the entire beltway, continuing clockwise ontoI-694. The last exit east of the Minnesota River is exit 71 to Pilot Knob Road. The first exit west of the river is exit 1A, which grants access to eastboundMinnesota State Highway 5 (MN 5) andMinneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. The most significant landmark on the length of I-494 isMall of America, just south of the intersection of I-494 andMN 77.

Legally, the route of I-494 is defined as part of unmarkedlegislative route 393 in Minnesota Statutes § 161.12(5).^[2] I-494 is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway.

Construction on I-494 first began in the late 1950s, and it was finally completed in 1985. With the most recent expansion completed in November 2016 inPlymouth, I-494 is now at least three lanes in each direction for its entire route.

A major reconstruction/widening project of I-494 was completed in late 2006 betweenUS Highway 212 (US 212)/MN 5 inEden Prairie and Carlson Parkway atMinnetonka–Plymouth. There were plans for up to six lanes in each direction for parts of I-494 inBloomington, but the majority of the city only sees four lanes and sees five in only two spots: eastbound at the East Bush Lake Road exit and further eastbound at the point where I-494 and MN 5 separate from each other.

Expansion of theWakota Bridge betweenNewport andSouth St. Paul over theMississippi River was completed in mid-2010. The bridge is named so because it connectsWashington andDakota counties. Near the end of this effort, I-494 was widened from two to three lanes in each direction between Lake Road and I-94 inWoodbury.

Since its opening, I-494 has been subjected to numerous traffic problems, both eastbound and westbound. Vehicles eastbound usually start to slow down at theUS 169 interchange inBloomington and continues to slow at the interchange withMN 100, at the Bloomington–Edina city line. However, traffic is the worst at the interchange forI-35W, which is located at the Bloomington–Richfield city line.^[3] Currently, information about the study is on the City of Bloomington's website,^[4] with more information starting to come from theMinnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).^[5] The plan is scoped between US 169 to theMinneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. The road sees over 500,000 passengers per day, with it being congested for more than 30 percent of the day. So far, MnDOT has determined to addE-ZPass Minnesota lanes eastbound fromFrance Avenue toMN 77 and westbound from MN 77 to I-35W. They also plan to construct a turbine-style ramp for northbound I-35W from westbound I-494. In an effort to reduce congestion on the highway and on exits as well, MnDOT is planning to close all ramps atNicollet Avenue and 12th Avenue and construct a full-access interchange at County State-Aid Highway 35 (CSAH 35; Portland Avenue), with two onramps and two offramps to replace the ramps.^[6] Problems have been addressed throughout the entire corridor, with all the highways being included. Construction for theMetro Orange Line tunnel began in 2019 and is still currently underway. The rest of the corridor is still being studied, with plans for construction to begin between 2022 and 2024.^{[needs update]}

The494 Corridor Commission, also known as494 Commuter Services, is anonprofit organization aimed at reducing traffic congestion along the southwest section of the I-494 corridor. In 1988, the cities ofBloomington,Eden Prairie,Edina,Minnetonka, andRichfield joined to address traffic congestion and work toward improving I-494. The organization's mission is to promote economic growth and regional prosperity through improved transportation options along the highway, such ascarpooling andbus transit. The organization's board of directors consists of representatives from each of the five member cities,MnDOT, theMetropolitan Council, and the private business community.^[7]

County	Location	mi[8]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Washington	Oakdale	58.158	93.596		I-694 north	Continuation beyond I-94
	Oakdale–Woodbury line			58	I-94 /US 12 –St. Paul,Eau Claire	Signed as exits 58A (west) and 58B (east); I-94 exit 249
	Woodbury	58.999	94.950	58C	Tamarack Road
		59.852	96.322	59	Valley Creek Road (CSAH 16)	FormerlyMN 120
		60.690	97.671	60	Lake Road (CSAH 25 north)
Ramsey–Washington county line	Maplewood–Newport line	63.177	101.674	63A	US 10 west /US 61 north / CSAH 18 east (Bailey Road) /Great River Road (National Route) north –St. Paul	Bailey Road not signed eastbound; eastern end of Great River Road overlap
Washington	Newport			63B	US 10 east /US 61 south –Hastings	Westbound access to US 10 west/US 61 north via exit 63A
		63.408	102.045	63C	Maxwell Avenue (CSAH 38 south)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Dakota	South St. Paul	63.995	102.990	Wakota Bridge over theMississippi River
		64.204	103.326	64A	Hardman Avenue
		64.646	104.038	64B	CSAH 56 (Concord Street) /Great River Road (National Route) south	FormerlyMN 156; previouslyMN 56; western end of Great River Road overlap
		65.125– 65.251	104.809– 105.011	65	5th Avenue, 7th Avenue
	Inver Grove Heights	66.148	106.455	66	US 52 –St. Paul,Rochester
		66.391– 67.170	106.846– 108.100	67	MN 3 (Robert Street) /MN 62	MN 62 is not accessible eastbound. Instead, traffic must exit to MN 3 and go north to gain access
	Eagan–Mendota Heights line	70.049	112.733	69	MN 149 (Dodd Road) toMN 55	MN 55 crosses I-494 west of I-35E, but with no direct access
		70.815	113.966	70	I-35E –St. Paul,Albert Lea	I-35E exits 99A-B
		71.906	115.721	71	CSAH 31 (Pilot Knob Road)
Dakota–Hennepin county line	Eagan–Mendota Heights– Bloomington tripoint	73.021 0.000	117.516 0.000	I-494 Bridge over theMinnesota River
Hennepin	Bloomington	1.257	2.023	1A	MN 5 east –Terminal 1	Eastern end of MN 5 overlap
		1.637	2.634	1B	34th Avenue –Terminal 2	Diverging diamond interchange;METRO Blue Linelight rail runs in the median of 34th Avenue[9]
		2.355	3.790	2A	CSAH 1 south (24th Avenue)
	Bloomington–Richfield line	2.836	4.564	2	MN 77 (Cedar Avenue)	Signed as exits 2B (north) and 2C (south)
		3.358– 3.856	5.404– 6.206	3	CSAH 35 (Portland Avenue) / 12th Avenue	12th Avenue ramps to be removed in the Airport to US-169 Project Portland Avenue will become full access
		4.357	7.012	4A	CSAH 52 north (Nicollet Avenue)	To be removed in the Airport to US-169 Project
		4.854	7.812	4B	Lyndale Avenue
		5.343	8.599	5	I-35W –Minneapolis,Albert Lea	Signed as exits 5A (north) and 5B (south); I-35W exits 9A-B
		5.851	9.416	6A	CSAH 32 (Penn Avenue)
	Bloomington	6.875	11.064	6B	CSAH 17 (France Avenue)
		7.926	12.756	7	MN 100 north / CSAH 34 (Normandale Boulevard)	Signed as exits 7A (north) and 7B (south)
		8.521	13.713	8	CSAH 28 (E. Bush Lake Road)
	Bloomington–Eden Prairie line	10.114	16.277	10A	US 169	Eastbound access to US 169 north via exit 10B
				10B	Washington Avenue	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	Eden Prairie	11.659	18.763	11A	CSAH 61 (Flying Cloud Drive) / Prairie Center Drive	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		11.923	19.188	11	US 212 /MN 5 west	Western end of MN 5 overlap, Signed as 11B (east) and 11C (west)
		12.233	19.687	12	CSAH 39 (Valley View Road)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Minnetonka	13.899	22.368	13	MN 62 east / CSAH 62 west
		16.267	26.179	16	MN 7	Signed as exits 16A (east) and 16B (west)
		16.970	27.311	17	Minnetonka Boulevard
		19.513	31.403	19	I-394 east /US 12 –Minneapolis,Wayzata	Cloverleaf interchange; signed as exits 19A (east) and 19B (west); I-394/US 12 exit 1A-B
	Plymouth	20.366	32.776	20	Carlson Parkway
		21.302	34.282	21	CSAH 6
		22.272	35.843	22	MN 55
		23.522	37.855	23	CSAH 9 (Rockford Road)
	Maple Grove	26.203	42.170	26	CSAH 10 (Bass Lake Road)
		27.993	45.050	27	I-94 west /US 52 west –St. Cloud	Northbound left exit and southbound entrance; I-94 exit 216
					I-94 east /I-694 east /US 52 north	Beltway continues as I-94/I-694 east/US 52 south
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

• Adam Froehlig (November 22, 2003).Interstate Highway 494. Interstate 494 in Minnesota. Accessed August 26, 2010.
• Interstate 494 Minnesota. Interstate-Guide.com. Accessed May 17, 2005.

• MnDOT: MnDOT I-494 Reconstruction Project - from I-394 to Minnesota River

• Interstate 494
• Interstate Highways in Minnesota
• Auxiliary Interstate Highways
• Transportation in Washington County, Minnesota
• Transportation in Dakota County, Minnesota
• Transportation in Hennepin County, Minnesota
• Beltways in the United States

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