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 entire highway from the Goodhue County
Line to Main Street in Hastings is still gravel. Grading and graveling
work had been completed in 1921 on the road from the Goodhue County
line to the junction with Highway 20, including the construction of
a small bridge in Miesville. In Hastings, US 61 follows Vermillion Street
north to 2nd (Main) Street. 2nd / Main Street and Sibley Street provide
the connection between Vermillion Street and the famous Spiral Bridge
across the Mississippi River, constructed as a wagon bridge in 1894.
The connection via Main and Sibley Streets had been paved with bituminous
on concrete in 1921.
1927 - Divided Upgrade / Reconstruction / First Paving:
Paving and reconstruction of Vermillion Street in Hastings. Construction
begins just south of the Vermillion River (starting at modern 23rd St)
with a new 27 foot wide concrete road. Vermillion Street north of the
river is widened and paved to accommodate four lanes of traffic with
two 18 foot wide concrete lanes, separated by an island as far north
as 5th Street. North of 5th, the construction project log states that
Vermillion was paved with two 34 foot wide concrete lanes on either
side of a 7 foot wide bituminous strip. From later plans and pictures,
it appears that the concrete pavement was probably 75 feet wide, and
the 7 foot bituminous strip was placed on top to guide and separate
north and southbound traffic.
The gravel road south of the Vermillion River to the Goodhue County
line is oil treated. US 61's route through Dakota County is now paved.
1928: The bridge across the Vermillion River on the
south side of Hastings is replaced.
1930-31 - Reconstruction / Realignment / First Paving (Concrete):
The highway from Hastings to the Goodhue County line is modernized and
paved. A new grade is constructed from the south end of the pavement
constructed in 1927 at Hastings to replace the old gravel road in use
since 1921. The new grade features two realignments. The first is on
the south side of Hastings, where a more gradual approach to the Vermillion
River bridge is constructed, replacing the old alignment on what are
now Canon and 25th Streets. The second is at the junction with Highway
20, where the new road is designed with a gradual curve to replace the
right-angle turn and four-way intersection at what was once known as
"Four Corners", originally located just to the west of the
modern junction of Highways 50 and 20. The bridge constructed in 1921
at Miesville is removed and replaced with a culvert. The new grade is
completed in 1930 and paved with 20 feet of concrete in 1931.
May 4, 1934: State Highway 3 is retired in the route
consolidation of 1934 due to redundancy with U.S. 61.
1951 - Bridge Replacement / Realignment / Reconstruction:
The spiral bridge at Hastings is replaced by the modern steel truss
structure, slated to be replaced in 2010. The new bridge is constructed
to the west of the old span, depositing traffic directly onto Vermillion
Street via an overpass over 2nd (Main) Street. Ramps are constructed
from 3rd and Vermillion down to 2nd to maintain access to downtown.
Vermillion Street is modernized, widened, and repaved in conjunction
with the bridge replacement as far south as 25th Street. The section
south of what is now the junction with County Road 47 is widened to
64 feet (the old concrete road had been between 27 and 20 feet wide).
The bridge over the Vermillion River is also widened. The two 18 foot
lanes south of 5th Street are widened to 30 feet. The old concrete median
is removed and replaced with a new four-foot wide structure, which is
extended north to 3rd Street, replacing the previous 7 foot bituminous
strip. Most of the old concrete pavement remains intact under the new
bituminous surface, except between 24th and 22nd Streets where it is
removed to lower the grade. The historic spiral bridge is demolished
shortly after the new bridge is opened to traffic in 1951.
1955: A traffic signal is added at 4th and Vermillion
Streets in Hastings.
1957: A traffic signal is added at the junction with
State Hwy. 55 (11th Street).
1961/62?: A roadside memorial and marker is constructed
at the base of the Main Street overpass in Hastings.
1968: The old concrete south of Hastings to the Goodhue
County line is paved over with a new bituminous surface.
1971: The concrete medians constructed in 1951 in
Hastings are covered with a 6 foot wide bituminous walk and curbs to
either side, effectively narrowing each lane of Vermillion Street by
a foot. This work is done as part of a resurfacing project. A traffic
signal is also added at 15th Street.
1978 - Reconstruction / Bridge Replacement: The bridge
over the Vermillion River on the south side of Hastings, constructed
in 1928 and widened in 1951, is replaced by a wider structure. The highway
on either side of the bridge (between 22nd Street and just north of
the junction with Co Rd 47) is also fully reconstructed.
1981 - Reconstruction: Vermillion Street in Hastings
is fully reconstructed from just north of the junction with County Road
47 to the Mississippi River bridge. All of the old pavements and medians
are removed. The reconstructed street features new medians, turns lanes,
and traffic signals. Signals are added for the first time at County
Road 47 and 10th Street.
1983 - Divided Upgrade / Reconstruction: U.S. 61 is
fully reconstructed on the south side of Hastings, from the Vermillion
River bridge south to Canon Street. The new road, constructed on the
same alignment, is widened to four lanes, with concrete medians and
turn lanes. A revised junction with State Highway 316 is constructed,
just south of the old junction (Highway 316's old junction met US 61
at a shallow angle, the new junction curves to meet US 61 at a right
angle to improve safety). All old pavements in the construction zone
are removed.
1984 - Realignment / Reconstruction: The junction
with State Highways 20 and 50 in Douglas Township is revised and fully
reconstructed. The old gradual curve, which once allowed traffic on
US 61 to pass through the junction without stopping, is removed. A simple
T-intersection is constructed in its place with turn lanes and medians.
The old junction and connection to Highway 20 is also closed off (the
connection to Highway 20 is now made via Highway 50).
1988: Widening and resurfacing, from the Goodhue County
Line to Hastings. The driving surface is widened to 24 feet (in general)
over the old concrete pavement. Turn and bypass lanes are added at various
places.
1991: Intersection improvements at the junction with
State Hwy. 291 in Hastings. A right turn lane is added for traffic on
northbound U.S. 61.
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Control Section Data:
Length: 13.422 Miles.
Legal Authorization: Constitutional Route
3
Fully Paved By: 1927 (Initial), 1931
(Concrete).
Paving/ Initial Development History:
- 1920: 2nd (Main) and Sibley Streets in Hastings.
- 1927: Concrete paving of Vermillion Street in Hastings as far south
as the Vermillion River. Oil treating of the road from Hastings to
the Goodhue County Line.
- 1931: Concrete paving from Hastings to the Goodhue County Line.
Divided Sections: In Hastings, north
of Cannon Street to the Mississippi River Bridge.
Divided Upgrade History:
- 1927: Vermillion Street in Hastings, from Main Street to the Vermillion
River.
- 1983: Vermillion River to Canon Street in Hastings.
Other Designations:
- Great River Road (north of State Hwy. 316 through Hastings only).
- Disabled American Veterans Highway
NHS: North of junction with State Hwy.
316 only.
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Junctions and Duplexes:
Current Junctions and Duplexes:
State Highway 50:
1949-Present: Junction in Douglas Township, south of Hastings.
State Highway 55:
1934-Present: Junction at 11th and Vermillion Streets in Hastings.
State Highway 291:
1970-Present: Junction at 18th and Vermillion Streets in Hastings.
1951-1970: Junction at 10th and Vermillion Streets in Hastings.
State Highway 316:
1959-Present: Junction on the south side of Hastings. The junction was
moved south slightly in 1983.
Historic Junctions and Duplexes:
State Highway 3:
1926-1934: Duplex. State Highway 3 is retired in the May 4, 1934 renumbering
due to redundancy with U.S. 61.
State Highway 20:
1930-1984*: Junction in Douglas Township, south of Hastings.
*Highway 20 no longer technically meets U.S. 61. The connection via
Hwy. 50 is only about .25 miles long.
1926-1930: Junction in Douglas Township at "4 Corners". Junction
moved northeast slightly in 1930.
State Highway 53:
1931-1934: Junction at 11th and Vermillion Streets in Hastings.
1926-1931: Junction at 2nd and Vermillion Streets in Hastings.
State Highway 53 was redesignated State Highway 55 at Hastings in the
May 4, 1934 renumbering.
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Surviving Old Alignments:
2nd (Main) Street and Sibley Street, Hastings:
Old connection to the Spiral Bridge, bypassed in 1951. Reconstructed
/ repaved. Accessible via ramps at 3rd Street.
25th and Cannon Streets, Hastings: On
the south end of town. Bypassed in 1930. Reconstructed / repaved.
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The U.S. Highway 61 Minnesota Reference Guide
