# U.S. Route 2 in Minnesota

U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is a United States Numbered Highway in northwest and northeast Minnesota, which runs from the Red River at East Grand Forks and continues east to Duluth, where the route crosses the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge over the Saint Louis Bay. The route connects the cities of East Grand Forks, Bemidji, Grand Rapids, and Duluth.
Of the 264 miles (425 km) of US 2 in Minnesota, 146 miles (235 km) have four lanes, mostly located in the northwest part of the state.

## Route description

US 2 enters the state from the west at the city of East Grand Forks, at the Red River. From the North Dakota state line to Crookston, US 2 is a four-lane divided highway built to expressway standards for 26 miles (42 km). Upon entering Crookston, US 2 follows the city streets of North Main, North Broadway, and East Robert streets.
Once US 2 leaves Crookston, it becomes a four-lane divided highway built to expressway standards for 83 miles (134 km). This expressway portion of US 2 in northwest Minnesota passes through the cities of Mentor, Erskine, Fosston, Bagley, and the west of Bemidji.
After the Minnesota State Highway 197 (MN 197) interchange, US 2 becomes a four-lane freeway for nine miles (14 km) as it bypasses Bemidji. US 71 joins the freeway after 1.5 miles (2.4 km) and runs concurrently with US 2 for 4.5 miles (7.2 km). The freeway crosses the Mississippi River after 115 miles (185 km).
The freeway ends at an at-grade junction with Animal Land Drive south of Bemidji. US 2 continues as a four-lane divided highway built to expressway standards for 12 miles (19 km) to Cass Lake. The portion of US 2 from Bemidji to Cass Lake is officially designated the Paul Bunyan Expressway.
After Cass Lake, US 2 continues east as a two-lane roadway for 40 miles (64 km) to Deer River. East of Deer River, US 2 is a four-lane divided highway for seven miles (11 km) until the city of Grand Rapids, where it has a junction with US 169. US 2 then heads southeasterly as a two-lane roadway for 59 miles (95 km) to the unincorporated area of Saginaw, where it has an interchange with MN 33. The route then continues east for two miles (3.2 km) to its intersection with MN 194 at Solway Township. US 2 then continues southeasterly for 12 miles (19 km) before entering the city of Proctor, where it is the main street through town. The route widens to a three-lane roadway as it approaches its intersection with Boundary Avenue (County Road 14 [CR 14]). The route enters the city limits of Duluth, where it has a junction with Interstate 35 (I-35), US 2 joins that route's freeway. US 2 runs concurrently with I-35 for two miles (3.2 km) in West Duluth, proceeding down Thompson Hill. US 2 then exits the I-35 freeway in West Duluth and crosses the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge over the Saint Louis Bay, entering the state of Wisconsin and the city of Superior. US 2 then follows Belknap Street in Superior.
Legally, the Minnesota section of US 2 is defined as Constitutional Route 8 and Legislative Route 106 in the Minnesota Statutes §§ 161.114(2) and 161.115(134). The route is not marked with those numbers.

## History

US 2 in Minnesota was authorized on November 11, 1926. It followed the route of old state Trunk Highway 8 in its entirety. At the time it was marked, it was paved along a short concurrency with US 75 north of Crookston and from its junction with then-Trunk Highway 11 (present-day US 53) through Duluth. The remainder was graveled or graded, except for a section west of Bagley which was simply a maintained dirt surface.
The route in Minnesota was completely paved in 1939. The last segment to be completed was between then-State Highway 94 (now MN 194) at Solway Township and the community of Adolph.
A few short (four-lane) divided highway segments of US 2 were constructed west of Bemidji during the 1960s. In the present day, from East Grand Forks to Cass Lake, this route is built to expressway standards and a posted 65-mile-per-hour (105 km/h) speed limit. The highway from Bemidji to Cass Lake was designated the Paul Bunyan Expressway in 1991. That designation originally extended down MN 371 to Little Falls, but that section was repealed in 2005.
From Cass Lake to Duluth, there are only a couple of short four-lane divided highway segments, but the nonurban portions of this segment are a posted 60-mile-per-hour (97 km/h) speed limit.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| Red River of the North | Red River of the North | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 2 west (Gateway Drive NW) – Grand Forks | Continuation into North Dakota |
| North Dakota–Minnesota state line ||
| Polk | East Grand Forks | 0.830 | 1.336 | MN 220 north (Central Avenue NW) – Alvarado | Western end of MN 220 overlap |
| Polk | East Grand Forks | 4.393 | 7.070 | US 2 Bus. west – East Grand Forks Business District | |
| Polk | Huntsville Township | 5.625 | 9.053 | MN 220 south – Climax | Eastern end of MN 220 overlap |
| Polk | Lowell Township | 23.489 | 37.802 | US 75 south – Moorhead | Western end of US 75 overlap |
| Polk | Lowell Township | 24.365 | 39.212 | US 75 north – Warren | Eastern end of US 75 overlap |
| Polk | Fairfax Township | 28.934 | 46.565 | MN 9 south – Ada, Fertile | |
| Polk | Grove Park-Tilden Township | 43.038 | 69.263 | MN 32 – Fertile, Red Lake Falls | |
| Polk | Knute Township | 58.197 | 93.659 | US 59 – Mahnomen, Thief River Falls | Interchange |
| Clearwater | Bagley | 88.349 | 142.184 | MN 92 (Main Avenue) – Itasca State Park, Clearbrook | |
| Beltrami | Eckles Township | 108.149 | 174.049 | MN 89 north – Red Lake, Roseau | Interchange; Southern terminus of MN 89 |
| Beltrami | Bemidji Township | 110.758– 110.827 | 178.248– 178.359 | MN 197 south – Bemidji | Interchange; Northern terminus of MN 197 |
| Beltrami | Bemidji | 111.905– 112.118 | 180.094– 180.436 | US 71 north – International Falls | Interchange; Eastern end of US 71 overlap |
| Beltrami | Bemidji Township | 115.349– 115.387 | 185.636– 185.697 | Mississippi River | Mississippi River |
| Beltrami | Bemidji Township | 116.905 | 188.140 | US 71 south / MN 197 north – Park Rapids, Bemidji | Interchange; Western end of US 71 overlap; Southern terminus of MN 197 |
| Hubbard | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions |
| Cass | Cass Lake | 129.982 | 209.186 | MN 371 south – Walker | |
| Mississippi River | Mississippi River | 160.939– 160.971 | 259.006– 259.058 | | |
| Itasca | Bowstring Lake | | | CSAH 39 (Ball Club Lake Road) / Great River Road (National Route) north | Western end of Great River Road overlap |
| Itasca | Bowstring Lake | | | CSAH 18 (Schoolcraft Park Road) / Great River Road (National Route) south | Eastern end of Great River Road overlap |
| Itasca | Morse Township | 168.032 | 270.421 | MN 46 north – Northome | |
| Itasca | Deer River | 169.051 | 272.061 | MN 6 north – Big Falls | Western end of MN 6 overlap |
| Itasca | Deer Lake | 174.550 | 280.911 | MN 6 south – Remer | Eastern end of MN 6 overlap |
| Itasca | Grand Rapids | 183.479 | 295.281 | MN 38 north – Bigfork, Effie | |
| Itasca | Grand Rapids | 183.698 | 295.633 | US 169 south – Aitkin | Western end of US 169 overlap |
| Itasca | Grand Rapids | 184.130 | 296.329 | US 169 north – Hibbing | Eastern end of US 169 overlap |
| Itasca | Swan River | 203.049 | 326.776 | MN 65 – McGregor, Nashwauk | |
| Aitkin | Northeast Aitkin | 211.261 | 339.992 | MN 200 west – Hill City | |
| St. Louis | Floodwood | 220.754 | 355.269 | MN 73 north – Hibbing | Eastern end of MN 73 overlap |
| St. Louis | Floodwood Township | 221.028 | 355.710 | MN 73 south – Cromwell, Moose Lake | Western end of MN 73 overlap |
| St. Louis | Stoney Brook Township | 239.099– 239.259 | 384.793– 385.050 | Saint Louis River | Saint Louis River |
| St. Louis | Brevator Township | 244.837 | 394.027 | MN 33 – Cloquet, Canyon | |
| St. Louis | Solway Township | 246.786 | 397.164 | MN 194 east – Hermantown | |
| St. Louis | Duluth | 260.579 | 419.361 | I-35 south – St. Paul, Minneapolis | Western end of I-35 overlap, exit 250 |
| St. Louis | Duluth | 261.141– 261.307 | 420.266– 420.533 | Cody Street | Northbound exit and southbound entrance only, exit 251A |
| St. Louis | Duluth | 261.966 | 421.593 | MN 23 (Grand Avenue) | Southbound exit and northbound entrance, exit 251B |
| St. Louis | Duluth | 262.331 | 422.181 | Central Avenue | Exit 252 |
| St. Louis | Duluth | 263.085 | 423.394 | I-35 north / LSCT north – Duluth | Eastern end of I-35 overlap, exit 253A |
| Saint Louis Bay | Saint Louis Bay | 264.089 | 425.010 | Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge; Minnesota–Wisconsin state line | Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge; Minnesota–Wisconsin state line |
| Saint Louis Bay | Saint Louis Bay | 264.089 | 425.010 | US 2 east / LSCT – Superior | Continuation into Wisconsin |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access ||||||