# U.S. Route 12 in Minnesota

U.S. Highway 12 (US 12) is a 192.798-mile-long (310.278 km) United States Numbered Highway in west- and east-central Minnesota, which travels from the South Dakota state line at Ortonville near Big Stone Lake and continues east to the St. Croix River at the Wisconsin state line. US 12 connects the cities of Ortonville, Benson, Willmar, Litchfield, Minneapolis, and Saint Paul.

## Route description

From the South Dakota state line at Ortonville, to Orono in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, US 12 is mostly a rural two-lane highway with a 60-mile-per-hour (97 km/h) posted speed limit, with slower speed limits through towns and a four-lane surface arterial segment through the city of Willmar. From Orono to Wayzata, US 12 is a two-lane freeway/super-two bypass around Long Lake. From western Wayzata to Interstate 394 (I-394) in Minnetonka, US 12 is a six-lane freeway, with a posted speed limit of 65 mph (105 km/h). East of I-494 in Minnetonka, US 12 is invisibly concurrent with I-394 and I-94 through Minneapolis and Saint Paul to the Wisconsin state line at Hudson.
Legally, the Minnesota section of US 12 is defined as unmarked Constitutional / Legislative Routes 149, 26, and 10 in Minnesota Statutes §§ 161.115(80) and 161.114(2). US 12 is not marked with these legislative numbers along the actual highway.

## History

US 12 was established on November 11, 1926. In 1929, the only sections paved were between Litchfield and Willmar and between Wayzata through Minneapolis–Saint Paul to Wisconsin. The entire route was paved by 1940. Beginning in the 1950s, older sections of US 12 that ran through city centers were replaced with bypasses.
From 2006 to 2008, the US 12 two-lane freeway bypass was constructed through Orono and Long Lake. The new bypass ties into the existing US 12 freeway at the western edge of Wayzata.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
| Big Stone–Grant county line | Ortonville–Big Stone City line | 0.000 | 0.000 | | US 12 west (Main Street) – Big Stone City, Milbank | Continuation into South Dakota |
| Big Stone | Ortonville | 0.821 | 1.321 | | MN 7 west (2nd Street SE) / Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway – Browns Valley | Western end of MN 7 concurrency |
| Big Stone | Ortonville | 0.950 | 1.529 | | MN 7 east (SE 2nd Street) – Appleton | Eastern end of MN 7 concurrency |
| Big Stone | Ortonville | 1.350 | 2.173 | | US 75 / Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway – Wheaton, Madison | |
| Swift | Shible Township | 21.097 | 33.952 | | MN 119 south – Appleton | |
| Swift | Moyer Township | 27.088 | 43.594 | | US 59 – Morris, Appleton | |
| Swift | Benson | 42.633 | 68.611 | | MN 29 south (Church Street) – Montevideo | Western end of MN 29 concurrency |
| Swift | Benson | 42.860 | 68.976 | | MN 9 west (Atlantic Avenue) / MN 29 north (14th Street) – Morris, Starbuck | Eastern end of MN 29 concurrency; western end of MN 9 concurrency |
| Swift | Benson | 42.930 | 69.089 | | MN 9 east (13th Street) – New London | Eastern end of MN 9 concurrency |
| Kandiyohi | Mamre Township | 64.292 | 103.468 | | CSAH 7 – Sunburg | Former MN 104 |
| Kandiyohi | Willmar | 71.721 | 115.424 | | CSAH 5 (30th Street) to MN 40 | |
| Kandiyohi | Willmar | 72.606 | 116.848 | | Industrial Drive | Former MN 40; closed in 2009; access now via CSAH 5 |
| Kandiyohi | Willmar | 73.683 | 118.581 | | To US 71 Bus. / Bus. MN 23 / Glacial Ridge Trail | |
| Kandiyohi | Kandiyohi Township | 75.696– 75.793 | 121.821– 121.977 | | US 71 / MN 23 – Sauk Centre, St. Cloud, Olivia, Granite Falls | Interchange |
| Meeker | Grove City | 91.650 | 147.496 | | MN 4 south – Cosmos | Western end of MN 4 concurrency |
| Meeker | Swede Grove Township | 92.261 | 148.480 | | MN 4 north – Paynesville | Eastern end of MN 4 concurrency |
| Meeker | Litchfield Township | 98.757 | 158.934 | | MN 22 north – Eden Valley | Western end of MN 22 concurrency |
| Meeker | Litchfield Township | 99.945 | 160.846 | | MN 24 north – Kimball | |
| Meeker | Litchfield | 100.777 | 162.185 | | MN 22 south – Hutchinson | Eastern end of MN 22 concurrency |
| Meeker | Dassel Township | 111.360 | 179.217 | | MN 15 – Kimball, Hutchinson | |
| Wright | Montrose | 132.095 | 212.586 | | MN 25 south (Buffalo Avenue) – Watertown | Western end of MN 25 concurrency |
| Wright | Franklin Township | 134.152 | 215.897 | | MN 25 north – Buffalo | Eastern end of MN 25 concurrency |
| Hennepin | Orono | 148.655 | 239.237 | — | CSAH 6 / CSAH 112 (Wayzata Boulevard) | Interchange; western end of freeway; former US 12 east / MN 110 south; also access to Long Lake, Orono |
| Hennepin | Wayzata | | | 152 | CSAH 112 – Long Lake, Orono | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former US 12; western end of eastbound HOV/toll lane |
| Hennepin | Wayzata | | | 153 | CSAH 15 west | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| Hennepin | Wayzata | 150.158 | 241.656 | 154 | CSAH 101 (Central Avenue) | Former MN 101 |
| Hennepin | Wayzata | | | 155A-B | CSAH 101 south / CSAH 15 east – Wayzata | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former US 12 west / MN 101 south |
| Hennepin | Minnetonka | | | 1A | Carlson Parkway / Linner Road | |
| Hennepin | Minnetonka | 157.014 | 252.690 | 1A-B | I-494 | Western end of I-394 concurrency; signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north); I-494 exits 19A-B; western end of westbound HOV/toll lane |
| See I-394 |||||||
| Hennepin | Minneapolis | 165.654 | 266.594 | | I-394 east – Downtown Minneapolis | Eastern end of I-394 concurrency; eastern end of HOV/toll lanes; eastbound exit and westbound entrance; I-394 exit 8B |
| Hennepin | Minneapolis | 165.654 | 266.594 | | I-94 west / US 52 north | Western end of I-94 concurrency; I-94 exit 231A |
| Unmarked overlap with I-94 to Wisconsin state line |||||||
| St. Croix River | St. Croix River | 192.997 | 310.599 | Interstate Bridge | Interstate Bridge | Interstate Bridge |
| St. Croix River | St. Croix River | 192.997 | 310.599 | | I-94 east / US 12 east – Eau Claire | Continuation into Wisconsin |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access |||||||