Interstate 35W

Interstate 35W is the name of the western half of Interstate 35, which is used in two regions along its length. I-35 is a long north-south Interstate Highway having termini in Laredo, Texas and Duluth, Minnesota, and is the only existing Interstate highway to be 'split' into two separate interstates designated by location to serve different destinations. The reason for this is partly political, as both Minnesota and Texas have "twin cities" that each wanted Interstate 35 to themselves. Any alternate numbering scheme would likely cause "gaps" in the interstate, leading to confusion. The companion route to I-35W is the eastern Interstate 35E.

Interstate 35W in Minnesota

Interstate 35 splits in eastern Minnesota at Columbus Township in the north and Burnsville to the south. I-35W runs through Minnesota's largest city, Minneapolis, while I-35E serves neighboring St. Paul, the state capital. I-35W essentially supplants the now-decommissioned highways of old U.S. 8 north of Minneapolis, and old U.S. 65 south of the city.

Related Topics:
Burnsville - Minneapolis - St. Paul - Decommissioned - U.S. 8 - U.S. 65

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Mileposts and exits are numbered independently on I-35W, while they are contiguous with the rest of the interstate on I-35E. Exit number 1 on I-35W is in Burnsville. The highway itself is marked as an "exit" from I-35E on both ends, Exit 88B on the south end and Exit 127 on the north end. I-35E is about 2 miles shorter than I-35W.

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Notes

• The route passes through the two most notorious interchanges in the Twin Cities, the Crosstown Commons at Minnesota State Highway 62 and only about 5 miles (8 km) north of that passes through Spaghetti Junction at Interstate 94. Reconstruction of both interchanges are on short and long range plans, respectively.
• Unlike Texas's I-35E/35W set, there is no return access to the other route at the endpoints.