Interstate 494

Interstate 494 marker
Interstate 494
Map
I-494 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-94
Maintained by MnDOT
Length42.94 mi[1] (69.11 km)
Existed1985[citation needed]–present
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
North end I-94 / I-694 / US 52 in Maple Grove
Major intersections
East end I-94 / I-694 / US 12 in Woodbury/Oakdale
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountiesWashington, Ramsey, Dakota, Hennepin
Highway system
  • Minnesota Trunk Highway System
I-394 I-535
Pedestrian bridge on I-494 near Lyndale Avenue in Bloomington/Richfield

Interstate 494 (I-494) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway making up part of a beltway of I-94, circling through the southern and western portions of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota. The 42.94-mile (69.11 km) road is coupled with I-694 (which circles the northern edge of the Twin Cities metro area) at each end and composes more than half of the major beltway of the region. I-694/I-494 also act as loop routes for I-35E and I-35W.

The speed limit on I-494 is 60 mph (97 km/h). Interstate Highways outside of the loop in Minnesota may be signed as high as 70 mph (110 km/h). Most highways inside the loop are signed at speeds of 55 mph (89 km/h) or lower, though a few exceptions were added in September 2005, allowing speeds of up to 60 mph (97 km/h) in some places. Those roads had been signed at 60 mph (97 km/h) or higher up until the 1973 oil crisis.

  1. ^ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved December 23, 2022.