U.S. Route 212

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U.S. Route 212

Length:

949 mi (1527 km)

Formed:

1926

West end:

Yellowstone National Park

East end:

U.S. 169 / MN 62 in Edina, MN

United States Numbered Highways
List - Bannered - Divided - Replaced

U.S. Route 212 is a spur of U.S. Route 12. Though it currently never intersects U.S. 12, it once had an eastern terminus at U.S. 12 in St. Paul, Minnesota. It runs for 949 miles (1,527 km) from Minnesota Highway 62 at Edina, Minnesota to Yellowstone National Park.

U.S. 212 passes through the states of Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana. It goes through the cities of Watertown, South Dakota and Billings, Montana.

1 Route description
2 Future
- 2.1 Minneapolis southwest suburbs
3 External links

[edit] Route description

[edit] Montana / Wyoming

The western terminus of Highway 212 is at the Montana/Wyoming state line within Yellowstone National Park. Within the park it is contiguous with Northeast Entrance Road, which has its western terminus on the Grand Loop within the Wyoming portion of the park. Highway 212 passes through Cooke City, Montana, then crosses the Wyoming state line and re-emerges into Montana approximately 38 miles later. The section of Highway 212 between Cooke City, Montana and Red Lodge, Montana is known as the Beartooth Highway, which the late CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt called "the most beautiful drive in America."

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[edit] South Dakota

Legally, the South Dakota section of U.S. 212 is defined at South Dakota Codified Laws § 31-4-206.[1]

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[edit] Minnesota

The 160 miles of Highway 212 in Minnesota are officially designated Minnesota Veterans Memorial Highway. Yellowstone Trail is the original name designation for this same stretch of U.S. 212 from the auto trail days. Yellowstone Trail was one of the first designated names written into law in the state, but not now marked anywhere along the Minnesota portion of U.S. 212.

Legally, the Minnesota section of U.S. 212 is defined as Routes 155, 12, 187, and 260 in Minnesota Statutes §§ 161.114(2) and 161.115(86), (118), and (191).[2][3]

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[edit] Future

This section contains information about a planned or expected future road.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available.

[edit] Minneapolis southwest suburbs

Between Eden Prairie and Chaska, Minnesota, U.S. Highway 212 is being realigned to a new freeway alignment, 12 miles in length. Part of this new alignment is already constructed between Valley View Road (Hennepin County Road 39) and State Highway 41 in Chaska and is temporarily designated as State Highway 312 until such time as the freeway is completed. This new freeway will have a designated shoulder on both sides that will be exclusive service to buses for a planned Bus Rapid Transit route starting from Carver, MN and points eastward along the freeway.

On April 29, 2002, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta was in the Twin Cities for an announcement regarding transportation in Minnesota. Mineta presented a $2.9 million check (Federal Highway Administration grant) to state transportation officials. The $2.9 million is part of the $238 million funding for the new 12-mile freeway alignment of U.S. Highway 212 in Eden Prairie, Chanhassen, and Chaska.

The groundbreaking celebration on August 20, 2005, was held in Chaska. Elected officials at the ceremony included U.S. Senator Norm Coleman, former U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, U.S. Rep. John Kline, U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad and Lieutenant Governor Carol Molnau.

Lieutenant Governor and Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau said, "When the Legislature approved the $900 million Transportation Finance Bill secured by the Pawlenty Administration during 2003, we were able to advance Highway 212 as a 'design-build' project by eight years from its originally scheduled start between 2010 and 2015."

The $238 million project is scheduled to be completed by July 2008.

On December 7, 2007, the six-mile portion of the project from Dell Road in Eden Prairie to State Highway 41 in Chaska opened to traffic, giving drivers use of about half of the new freeway alignment.

Counties and cities along the route are lobbying to extend the four lane divided highway even farther. Old Highway 212 widens to four lanes near Cologne but then drops back to two lanes at Norwood Young America, where it widens to four lanes again west of town.

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune article -- Nov. 22, 2007 -- "New chunk of Highway 212 spurs quest for more"
Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune article -- Dec. 10, 2007 -- "Six-mile stretch of Highway 212 opens"