County Road 42 serves as an east–west
arterial route for the South of the River suburbs of the
Minneapolis – Saint Paul area. The roadway connects the communities of Shakopee, Prior Lake, Savage, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Rosemount, and Hastings; which are all located south of the
Minnesota River. From west to east, the route follows 140th Street, Egan Drive, 150th Street and 145th Street. Its westernmost terminus is at
Shakopee in Scott County, where it intersects County Road 17 (Marschall Road). The eastern terminus of County 42 is at
Hastings in Dakota County, where it meets
U.S. Highway 61. County 42 is designated as a
principal arterial highway by the
Metropolitan Council, and the roadway is supposed to have limited commercial access and
traffic signals only at one-half mile intervals. However, because it was used as a primary commercial road before its designation as a principal arterial highway, it passes directly through the downtown areas of several cities in Scott and Dakota Counties; most notably
Burnsville and
Apple Valley in Dakota County Most of County Road 42 is designated as part of the
National Highway System. The major highways it intersects from west to east are:
State Highway 13,
Interstate 35W,
Interstate 35E,
Cedar Avenue two miles (3 km) south of the terminus of
State Highway 77,
State Highway 3,
U.S. 52,
State Highway 55, and
U.S. 61. ==History==