50 Years After Initial Plans, Highway 610 Project Finally Complete

Local leaders celebrated completion of the final phase of the Highway 610 corridor project on Monday — a project more than 50 years in the making.

The corridor connects Interstate 94, County Road 30 and the original Highway 610.

“Moments like this are what public service is all about, when we see a plan come together to serve our communities,” said Judy Johnson, a member of the Metropolitan Council.

This final segment is located just off 101st Avenue in Maple Grove, near a number of new developments on one side and Maple Grove Hospital on the other. It connects the I-94 and Highway 610 interchange and realigns County Road 30. 

Maple Grove Mayor Mark Steffenson said the new segment will grow jobs and reduce congestion.

A map showing the final segment of the Highway 610 project.

A Celebration 50 Years in the Making

Planning for Highway 610 first began in the 1970s. The project built a 12-mile route from I-94 in Maple Grove to Interstate 35W in Mounds View connecting north metro communities.

“The point is not the road. Although we really, really like the road. The point is what it represents, the real mission of what we’re here for today, which is to talk about thriving communities and how we make that happen,” said state Rep. Kristin Bahner, DFL-Maple Grove.

“It means fewer detours and shorter drives, less time in traffic, more time at home. For Maple Grove Hospital, and the expanding health campus along 94 and 610 it means quicker routes for patients and ambulances. For workers, for local businesses it means moving more freight without losing time and money. And of course, it means economic opportunity for this incredible region in our state,” said U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar on a phone call.

The project required bipartisan support and backing from local, state and federal entities.

The last leg cost an estimated $58.3 million and was funded by federal and state grants, Hennepin County and the city of Maple Grove. Funding included $13 million from state LRIP funds, $7 million in federal regional solicitation funds, $5 million from MnDOT TED funding, $2.8 million from a U.S. House of Representatives Community Project grant, $4.2 million from Hennnepin County, $15.4 million from MnDOT and $10.9 million from the city of Maple Grove.

Officials at Monday’s ribbon cutting also took time to remember Adam Smith, a worker who died in an accident while constructing the project. 

Leaders said they’re aiming to open the new segment by Thursday, Nov. 13.

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