Route Development
Timeline:
September, 1926 - Initial Conditions / First Paving:
U.S. 61 is routed onto State Highway 3 between St. Paul and La Crosse.
Concrete paving is already underway from the Wabasha County Line to
Winona. Paving had apparently already been completed from Winona to
Minnesota City. An article from the September 7 issue of the Winona
Republican-Herald stated that there were 8 accidents on the new road
over the Labor Day weekend due to speeding and incomplete shoulders.
Construction on the rest of the pavement is not completed till November
due to excessive rain. The grade north of Minnesota City had been completed
in 1921; the grade from just north of Minnesota City to Winona had been
completed earlier in 1926. The grading project included an extension
of Broadway to the west from Hilbert Street in Winona through what had
previously been a swamp and part of a golf course, bypassing the old
route out of town on Villa and 5th Street. The new road between Winona
and Minnesota City eliminated two dangerous rail crossings on the old
route on Wenonah Road. One at-grade crossing is still required on the
southeast side of Minnesota City (a tunnel was proposed to eliminate
this crossing, but it was not constructed). The new concrete pavement
ended on the east at the intersection of Broadway and Villa (the junction
with U.S. 14 / MN 7). The new highway from Minnesota City to Minneiska
was opened on November 17th with a procession of cars from Winona to
Wabasha, where a celebration was held, including a "pavement dance".
In reality, the widening of the bridge at Minneiska was not yet done,
and a temporary bridge of planks had to be used. The work on the bridge
was not completed until 1927.
1929 - Realignment: Construction is completed on a
more southerly alignment for the main highway through Winona along what
is now County Road 32, starting at the intersection of Broadway and
Junction Street. The junction with U.S. 14 / MN 7 is moved southwest
to the intersection of Gilmore Avenue and Junction Street.
May 4, 1934: State Highway 3 is retired in Winona
County due to redundancy with U.S. 61.
1936: The junction with U.S. 14 is improved as part
of the concrete paving of Gilmore Ave to the west out of Winona.
A roadside viewing area for Lock and Dam No. 5 is constructed about
a mile north of Whitman.
1937: Two bridges are replaced: one at Minneiska just
south of the Wabasha County Line, and another almost two miles south
of Minneiska. The old bridges had been constructed in 1921. A few portions
of the highway north of Minnesota City are also widened to twenty feet
of concrete. This work is done as part of a wider project to improve
safety and drainage on U.S. 61 between Minnesota City and Minneiska.
1940 - Realignment: A new alignment is constructed
around the east side of Minnesota City, bypassing the old route through
the center of town on Mill Street, plus the old bridge over Garvin Brook.
The new highway is paved with concrete, 22 feet wide. Garvin Brooks's
channel between the old and new bridges is shored up with crib walls.
Two bridges are constructed over the new highway on the southeast side
of town: one for the railroad tracks, which finally eliminates the grade
crossing, and the other for the connection to Wenonah Road. A rudimentary
interchange (with one ramp) is constructed to connect between the new
highway and Wenonah Road.
1957 - Divided Upgrade / Realignment: Construction
is completed on the four lane Winona bypass, starting from just southeast
of Minnesota City through Goodview and Winona. Construction includes
several long service drives on the west side of Winona (still in use).
The north end of the four lane road merges back onto the two lane concrete
road constructed in 1940 at Minnesota City. The old route through Goodview
into Winona is now County Road 32.
1962 - Reconstruction: U.S. 61 is partially upgraded
to four lanes at Minneiska. Construction begins only a half mile south
of the Wabasha County Line. Although the future grade is completed,
only the northbound lane is paved with a temporary surface. The old
two-lane concrete highway is destroyed by the construction. A service
drive is constructed on the southbound side.
1964: The junction with U.S. 14 at Gilmore Avenue
is improved, with new ramps and turn lanes.
1965 - Divided Upgrade / Realignment / Reconstruction:
Construction is completed on a replacement for the old concrete highway
from the junction with Highway 248 at Minnesota City to Minneiska. The
new road is constructed as the future southbound lane of the modern
divided highway. One section of the northbound lane is completed for
about a mile at Whitman and Lock and Dam No. 5. The grade completed
in 1962 at Minneiska is also completed and fully paved. Temporary connections
are constructed between the two lane sections and the completed four
lane sections. Other portions of the future northbound roadbed are constructed,
but are not completed. Some sections of the old concrete road are left
behind along the new highway, but are closed to traffic (some sections
of the concrete were removed for culvert and embankment construction).
Plans show that a parking area was constructed at the old Lock and Dam
No. 5 roadside development site, originally constructed in 1936. A short
section of the old concrete road is redeveloped as a farm entrance a
little over a mile north of Minnesota City.
1972: U.S. 14's route into Winona from the west is
realigned to meet U.S. 61 at a new junction at Pelzer Street, northwest
of the old junction at Gilmore Avenue. The intersection is improved,
with new turn lanes, and revisions to the service drives.
1978 - Divided Upgrade / Realignment: The upgrade
to four lanes between Minnesota City and Minneiska is finally completed.
A four lane bypass around the west side of Minnesota City is constructed,
with new bridges over Gilmore Creek, and revised connections to the
old alignment around the east side of town. New junctions are constructed
for State Highway 248 and County Road 23, the east end of which is also
realigned. The northbound lane north of the junction with Highway 248
is finally completed, as well as the southbound lane where there were
previously temporary connections (the previously completed four lane
section at Whitman is left as-is). Although the northbound lane closely
follows the alignment of the old concrete road, it is constructed on
a heavily revised grade. All remaining sections of the original concrete
highway are destroyed. This construction eliminates the final two-lane
section between the Wisconsin State Line and Wabasha.
1993: The southbound lane in Goodview between 54th
and 44th Avenues is reconstructed as part of a resurfacing project.
The grade of the southbound lane is raised about two feet over the top
of the old road surface.
2007: Intersection improvements at the junction with
U.S. 14 at Pelzer Street.
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Control Section Data:
Length: 13.602 Miles.
Legal Authorization: Constitutional Route 3
Fully Paved By: 1926.
Paving/ Initial Development History:
- 1926: Winona to the Wabasha County Line.
Divided Sections: Entire Length
Divided Upgrade History:
- 1957: U.S. 14 to Minnesota City.
- 1965: One mile-long segment at Whitman, one short segment at Minneiska
at the Wabasha County Line.
- 1978: Minnesota City to Minneiska.
Other Designations:
- Great River Road
- Disabled American Veterans Highway
NHS: Entire Length
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Junctions and Duplexes:
Current Junctions and Duplexes:
U.S. Highway 14:
1972-Present: Junction, on the west side of Winona at Pelzer St.
1957-1972: Junction, at Gilmore Ave.
1933-1957: Junction, at Gilmore Ave. and Junction St.
1929-1933: Junction, at Gilmore Ave. and Junction St.
1926-1929: Junction, at Villa and Broadway.
State Highway 248:
1949-Present: Junction at Minnesota City*
*Junction is revised as part of reconstructions in 1965 and 1978.
Historic Junctions and Duplexes:
State Highway 3:
1926-1934: Duplex. State Highway 3 is retired on May 4, 1934
due to redundancy with U.S. 61.
State Highway 7:
1929-1934: Junction at Gilmore Ave and Junction Street in Winona.
1926-1929: Junction at Villa and Broadway in Winona.
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Surviving Old Alignments:
Farm Entrance Road, Rollingstone Township: Accessible
from the first cross-over north of Minnesota City. Bypassed in 1965.
Bridge Street, Minnesota City: Between the north and
south junctions with modern U.S. 61. Bypassed in 1978. Reconstructed.
Note: closed for construction of a new bridge over Garvin Brook
in 2008.
Mill Street, Minnesota City: South of Bridge Street.
Bypassed in 1940.
County Road 32: Through Goodview and Winona. Bypassed
in 1957. Reconstructed.
Broadway Avenue, Winona: East of County Road 32. Bypassed
in 1929. Reconstructed, although a segment of the original concrete
pavement survives at the junction with County Road 32.
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The U.S. Highway 61 Minnesota Reference Guide
