Route Development
Timeline:
September, 1926 - Initial Conditions: U.S. Highway
61 is first marked along State Highway 3 between St. Paul and the Wisconsin
state line at La Crosse. The highway between Red Wing and Lake City
had been graded and paved between 1924 and 25. The grade and bridges
were completed in 1924, along with concrete paving within the city limits
of Red Wing and Lake City. The rest of the road was paved in 1925. The
concrete road was generally 18 feet wide, with a couple of 27 foot wide
sections: one along the shore of Lake Pepin north of Lake City, and
another at the State Training School at Red Wing. The City of Red Wing
added extra concrete pavement to fully pave the width of 7th Street.
May 4, 1934: State Highway 3 is retired due to redundancy
with U.S. 61.
May, 1935: U.S. Highway 63 is duplexed with U.S. 61
from Red Wing to Lake City.
1936 - Realignment: Two portions of the concrete road
constructed in 1925 are replaced. The first section is for about a mile
at Wells Creek, where a new bridge is also constructed (the new road
is aligned north of the old). The second section is a short stretch
on the shore of Lake Pepin at the south end of the location of the current
roadside park. The new road is built a bit further away from the lake.
The old alignment remains as a parking and viewing area. The realigned
roads are paved with concrete, 20 feet wide.
1939: Original construction of the Frontenac Rest
Area on the shore of Lake Pepin.
1940: The Fort Beauharnois historic marker and roadside
rest area is constructed at what is now the junction with County Road
2.
1953-55 - Reconstruction / Realignment/ Divided Upgrade:
Reconstruction and modernization of the 1920's era highway, from the
west entrance to the State Boy's Training School at Red Wing to Lake
City. A widened two lane grade is constructed with a 26 foot wide driving
surface and gravel shoulders, replacing the 18 to 20 foot wide concrete
highway constructed in the 20's and 30's (see history above). The highway
at Lake City, from the Wabasha County Line to just south of Gilbert
Creek, is widened to four lanes with a raised center island. Much of
the new road is actually built on top of the grade of the old highway,
while other sections are realigned and the old road is obliterated.
Other sections of the old highway are left behind as service drives.
Two new service drives are constructed at Lake Pepin just south of Staehli
Park Road. Construction includes a new bridge over Gilbert Creek at
Lake City. All of the other old bridges are removed and replaced by
culverts, with the exception of the bridge over Wells Creek (constructed
in 1936). Most of the new road is completed in 1954. The new bridge
over the Canadian Pacific tracks just east of the state training school
is not completed until 1955. A small roadside park was planned in front
of the Redi-Mix plant just east of Red Wing, but was not constructed.
The park would have included a historic plaque marking the location
of the lost lumber rafting town of Sevastopol. The engineers must have
realized that the odor from the plant would have made this a rather
unpleasant location to make a pit-stop.
1954: A traffic signal is installed at Plum and 7th
Streets in Red Wing at the junction with State Hwy. 58.
1960: Completion of the new Eisenhower Bridge (U.S.
63) from Red Wing to Wisconsin. The connection to the new bridge via
3rd Street includes a bridge over the future four-lane alignment of
U.S. 61 and U.S. 63 into Red Wing (see below).
1963 - Divided Upgrade / Realignment: A new four-lane
divided highway is completed on the east side of Red Wing along the
foot of Barn Bluff, starting at the west entrance to the Boy's Training
School, and then feeding U.S. 61 and U.S. 63 directly onto Main Street,
bypassing the old route into town via 7th and Plum Streets. Construction
includes bridges over a realigned 5th Street and the road to Colvill
Park. Main Street east of Plum had already been in use by U.S. 63 before
1960 as the old connection to the previous wagon bridge to Wisconsin,
and had been paved with concrete at an unknown date before 1934. This
concrete itself was paved over with blacktop at some later date after
1960, possibly in 1963 as part of U.S. 61's relocation, or possibly
in 1965. State Highway 58 is extended north on Plum Street over part
of U.S. 61's old alignment to Main Street.
1965: A traffic signal is added at the intersection
of Main and Plum Streets.
1968-69: Modernization of the Frontenac rest area
with indoor lavatories and a new parking area. The north side of the
old roadside parking area (a surviving section of the original paved
highway) is modified to connect with the new driveway and parking area.
1979 - Bridge Replacement / Reconstruction: The bridge
over Wells Creek, constructed in 1936, is replaced. The road from just
west of County Road 2, to just past the new bridge is also reconstructed
on a new elevated grade, constructed over the old road (the old pavement
is removed). The reconstructed section is given bituminous shoulders.
1982: The road from Lake City, to the four lane section
at Red Wing, is repaved with asphalt. Paved shoulders are also added.
1986 - Reconstruction: A short section of the four
lane road constructed in 1963 on the east side of Red Wing is reconstructed
to provide access and turn lanes for a new road to the local power plant.
The construction is east from the 5th Avenue Bridge, to just east of
the new intersection. The eastbound lane is left as is, while the westbound
lane is regraded with a new concrete median.
1993-1994: The Lake Pepin rest area is reconstructed.
The old buildings are removed and replaced.
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Control Section Data:
Length: 16.263 Miles.
Legal Authorization: Constitutional Route 3
Fully Paved By: 1925.
Paving/ Initial Development History:
- 1924: Paving within the city limits of Red Wing and Lake City.
- 1925: Paving of the highway between Red Wing and Lake City.
Divided Sections:
- West side of Lake City, from the Wabasha County Line to Central
Point Road.
- East side of Red Wing, west from the CP railroad tracks to Otter
Street.
Divided Upgrade History:
- 1954: West side of Lake City.
- 1963: East side of Red Wing.
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 63:
1963-Present: Duplex, from Lake City to the north junction at Main and
Plum Streets in Red Wing.
1960-1963: Duplex, from Lake City to the north junction at Plum and
3rd Streets in Red Wing.
1935-1960: Duplex, from Lake City to the north junction at Plum and
Main Streets in Red Wing.
State Highway 58:
1963-Present: Junction, at Main and Plum Streets, Red Wing.
1935-1963, 1932-1934: Junction, at Plum and 7th Streets, Red Wing.
1934-1935: Duplex, on Plum Street between 7th and Main Streets in Red
Wing. (Hwy 58 was extended north as the route over the wagon bridge
to Wisconsin until U.S. 63 was extended north in 1935).
1926-1932: Junction, at Plum and 4th Streets, Red Wing.
State Highway 292:
1951-Present: Junction on the east side of Red Wing at the driveway
to the State Training School.*
*Junction moved west slightly when U.S. 61 is realigned in 1963.
See construction history for details.
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.
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Surviving Old Alignments:
Plum and 7th Streets, Red Wing: South and west of
the modern highway. Bypassed in 1963. Reconstructed / repaved. Plum
Street is still part of State Hwy. 58 as well as U.S. 63 (for two blocks).
The east end of the old alignment is part of State Hwy. 292. The old
alignment ends at the entrance gates to the State Training School.
271st Street: First service drive on the north side
of the highway, just east of Red Wing. Bypassed in 1953. Old concrete
pavement survives on the east end.
Hillside Drive: Second service drive on the north
side of the highway east of Red Wing. Bypassed in 1953. Repaved.
296th Street, Florence Township: Bypassed in 1953,
accessible on both ends from the modern highway. Some sections of original
concrete pavement are sill in use.
North Service Drive at Lake Pepin: Just north of the
Lake Pepin Rest Area. Bypassed in 1953. Repaved.
Lake Pepin Viewing Area: On the south end of the Lake
Pepin Rest Area. Bypassed in 1936. Repaved / reconstructed.
North Lakeshore Drive, Lake City: South service drive
on the east side of town. Accessible from the modern highway just north
of Central Point Road. Bypassed in 1953. Reconstructed / repaved. Dead-ends
at Gilbert Creek.
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The U.S. Highway 61 Minnesota Reference Guide
