Minnesota State Highway 121
Trunk Highway 121 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Map MN 121 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Defined by MS § 161.%section% | ||||
| Maintained by MnDOT | ||||
| Length | 0.937 mi[1] (1,508 m) | |||
| Existed | 1935, 1979[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  I-35W in Richfield | |||
 MN 62 in Minneapolis | ||||
| North end |  CSAH 22 in Minneapolis | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Minnesota | |||
| Counties | Hennepin | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Minnesota State Highway 121 (MN 121) is a short freeway stub in Minnesota. It is less than one mile (1.6 km) in length.
MN 121 runs between Interstate Highway 35W in Richfield and Lyndale Avenue South (CSAH 22) in Minneapolis where it intersects West 58th Street. There was one interchange leading to westbound MN 62, but this has been reconfigured from a freeway-to-freeway configuration into a half-trumpet configuration with signals on MN 121.
Route description
MN 121 serves as a freeway connector stub on the Minneapolis / Richfield boundary line. The short route connects I-35W, MN 62, and Lyndale Avenue in South Minneapolis.
The route is located in Hennepin County.
When traveling on I-35W northbound in Richfield, MN 121 is accessed by the "Highway 62 west / 58th Street" exit. 58th Street is then followed.
History
Before I-35W was completed to downtown Minneapolis, old U.S. Highway 65 briefly took this stub (present day MN 121) to rejoin its old alignment on Lyndale Avenue South. A 1961 road map shows I-35W separating from Lyndale Avenue South at about 58th Street, then continuing south along its present alignment in Richfield and south into Bloomington. MN 121 was designated on its current alignment in 1979 after I-35W was built along the Crosstown (MN 62) and along 2nd Avenue South going into downtown.
Early history
Prior to 1979, MN 121 was routed on different alignments on various surface streets in South Minneapolis. The first alignment of MN 121 on France Avenue South was signed in 1935 between 50th Street northbound to Excelsior Boulevard. The route alignment of MN 121 was changed in 1957, 1969, 1979, and 1988. The surface streets that MN 121 had followed throughout these years included France Avenue South, 50th Street, Lyndale Avenue South, and 46th Street. All are now county-marked routes.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Hennepin County.
| Location | mi[3] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richfield | 0.000 | 0.000 | I-35W | Southern terminus; I-35W exit 11 | |
| Richfield–Minneapolis line | 0.259– 0.376 | 0.417– 0.605 | MN 62 | Interchange | |
| Minneapolis | 0.937 | 1.508 |  CSAH 22 north (S. Lyndale Avenue) / W. 58th Street | Northern terminus; old US 65 | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
References
- ^ "2008 Trunk Highway Control Section Report" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
- ^ Riner, Steve. "Details of Routes 101-149". The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Retrieved 2006-04-03.
- ^ "Trunk Highway Log Point Listing - Construction District 5" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 20, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 27, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2010.