HIGHWAY 100 MEETS SUPERIOR BLVD.

The following article is provided thanks to an unfortunately undated column by Maxine Dickson of the Minnetonka Historical Society. 

On Dec. 16,1937, a headline in the Hennepin County Review stated that the "splendid new highway will be opened in the spring." The Review went on, The Northwest's first cloverleaf highway grade separation, which carries Superior Boulevard over the new Belt Line Highway (Highway 100) just beyond the west city limits of Minneapolis, was opened to traffic Nov. 26. The Belt line road itself will be completed and opened by early spring.

"The intersection eventually will circle the Twin City area and permit an unobstructed flow of traffic in the metro area and will enable traffic entering the area from any direction to find an open and safe radial route directly to any section of Minneapolis, St. Paul or South St. Paul.

"The Superior Boulevard cloverleaf had been constructed under supervision of the state highway department with the WPA doing the grading, using a high percentage of hand labor and matched federal aid highway funds totaling $65,000 to erect the concrete and steel overhead bridge, which carries trunk Highway 12 over trunk Highway 100.

"The highway department will build a divided two-lane highway of 24-foot wide lanes from the cloverleaf to the Minneapolis city limits and from the west end of the junction for about a mile, to a point just beyond the Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway Track.

"A cloverleaf is constructed so that each entrance to Highway 12 or Highway 100 is made on a gradual basis and an additional safety feature is the fact that the design eliminates all left turns, (these turns) being made from one highway to the other by circling to the right. It is the first of its kind in the Northwest and a forerunner of the type of high-grade separation which will be built in the Twin Cities area and other heavily trafficked intersections in Minnesota as funds become available.

"Built in the east, the accident rate has been cut sharply. Fast-moving and exceptionally heavy traffic is characteristic of this day on many highways. The Belt Line is 6.7 miles long and intersects nine east and west roads.

"Additional bridges are to be built with the aid of WPA with 1,000 to 1,800 men. They are paid $60.50 a month. Intermediate Pipe Layers are paid $71.50, and skilled stone masons and carpenters are paid $93.50 a month."







 

Home    St. Louis Park History    History Index    About the Society    Research Resources
Brookside Timeline    Something In The Water    The Re-Echo    Contact Us

This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.