in
Minneapolis I-94 enters the state from
North Dakota at the city of
Moorhead and heads southeast after serving Moorhead. Traveling southeast from Moorhead, there are several places where the elevation of I-94 rises slightly; these are "beaches" that formed as the glacial lake rose or fell. Finally, at
Rothsay, I-94 climbs the last beach line and enters terrain more typical for Minnesota. From Rothsay to the
Twin Cities, the terrain of I-94 is rolling with frequent lakes visible from the highway. I-94 traverses by
Fergus Falls,
Alexandria, and
Sauk Centre on its way to
St. Cloud. The "original main street" in Sauk Centre near I-94 commemorates the
Sinclair Lewis novel that skewered this town.
Monticello is roughly the midpoint
exurb for both St. Cloud and Minneapolis. Between exits 201 (
Albertville) and 194 (Monticello) sits the
Minnesota Road Research Facility. Upon arrival to the Twin Cities, I-94 first approaches
Minneapolis from the north, then the highway turns east after passing through the
Lowry Hill Tunnel and heads to
Saint Paul while traveling east. The road crosses the
Mississippi River in Minneapolis between the
Prospect Park and
Seward neighborhoods. The highway joins
Minneapolis and
Saint Paul together where it meets
Minnesota State Highway 280 (MN 280). In Saint Paul, the routing of I-94 is set through the historic
Rondo neighborhood, which, prior to the highway's construction, was the largest Black community in Saint Paul. Upon leaving Saint Paul, the route travels through suburban
Washington County and exits the state into
Wisconsin between
Lakeland, Minnesota, and
Hudson, Wisconsin, while crossing the
St. Croix River. Legally, the Minnesota section of I-94 is defined as unmarked
Legislative Route 392 in the Minnesota Statutes § 161.12(4). I-94 is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway.
Transit Intercity bus service is provided along the entire length of the I-94 corridor. Service northwest of the Twin Cities is provided by
Jefferson Lines, while
Greyhound,
Flixbus, and
Wisconsin Coach Lines provide service east of the Twin Cities. Local bus services operated by
Metro Transit and
Maple Grove Transit also utilize I-94 in the Twin Cities metro. ==History==