Ayd Mill Road, Saint Paul, MN

I-35E runs across the southeast corner, I-94 goes east-west across the top (with a 'hidden' multiplex with US 12 and US 52). That is University Av (former US 12/52) across the very top.

Ayd Mill Road in Saint Paul, MN is one of the most interesting city streets in the USA. It runs about 2 km from a very cool interchange at Jefferson Street northwestward to feed into Shelby Av about two blocks east of Snelling Av (MN 51). It is a four lane roadway with a narrow median divider that was snugly built along the former Milwaukee Road railroad mainline. It was intended to eventually serve as a sort of 'short cut' connection between I-35E and I-94 on St. Paul's west side, and in fact was originally called 'Short Line Road'. It has three intermediate 'interchanges' with other streets (Hamline Av, Grand Av and St. Clair Av) but the northbound 'ramps' cross over the southbound lanes at grade (the close proximity of the railroad made more 'proper' connections too difficult). There are ghost ramps at the I-35E end that allow for a direct connection. This connection WAS in place during the very late 1980s and early 1990s during the construction of I-35E and reconstruction of I-94 in the downtown St. Paul area, but was severed after that work was completed.

The City and MnDOT are studying the future of this roadway. Among the options are to leave things as they are (traffic on Ayd Mill Road is very light), reconnect it to I-35E, extend the northwest end to I-94 (likely about 1 km or so west of Snelling Av), upgrade Ayd Mill Road to a more conventional 'freeway', or remove Ayd Mill Road altogether. Reconfigurations to the 'interchanges' are another possibility, either by snuggling the northbound connections between the road and the railroad, or, if the railroad has been heavily downgraded, by more 'conventional' means, including widening the road onto the railroad grade (I am unsure as to whether or not the current owner (CPRail Systems) even uses it, as it does not seem to fit into their local mainline 'system').

Ayd Mill Road is a truly FASCINATING drive, and I recommend it whenever you are in the 'Cities' metro area.

Return to the 1999 Previous Weeks' Highway Feature menu


Just follow this sign to make your OWN great signs!!!!


This page © Michael G. Koerner

E-mail feedback is always welcomed, Spammers are dunked into the French-fryers at the local McDonalds :-)