All photos are eastbound.


Construction at the US 10 interchange (as of 2012) will move I-694 to the inside and keep US 10 on the outside, eliminating a weave to the next exit and keeping the through highway to the left where it belongs. Instead, there will be a weave on US 10 between the entrance from and exit to I-694 in either direction, but that's okay because US 10 is a lesser road (not even a freeway). The C-D road setup with US 10 will carry past the Hamline Avenue interchange (Exit 42A, also MN 51 to the south), and the abutment in the 4th photo is for said Hamline Ave. SB. I wonder if, during rush hour, people end up waiting on the Ham line, and whether they are rewarded with porcine comestibles thereafter.


This is the second sign I've seen in Minnesota with the white line above the arrows, as if someone thought at some point, for some reason, that it would be a good way to denote a multi-lane exit on the left. (The other is MN 62 WB at US 212.) The repetition of the I-694 is like California freeways, but unlike in California, there aren't six lanes of width to warrant two identical shields. Also, this is the shared mainline of I-35E, so why doesn't that route get two shields as well?


Two problems with the sign. First, "Exit Only" should have a black border around the yellow background. Second, this is clearly not an "Exit Only" situation. The lane doesn't drop until after the exit.


After the lane drops, the US 10 overpass has left enough room for the third lane to be continued (on the left) in the future. It really could use the third lane now, although that's judging based on Midwestern standards; back East, two lanes each way can get plenty more crowded before a third lane comes into play.

The other half of the beltway, I-494
Exit 48 to US 61
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