I-494 Corridor Profile

The I-494 corridor includes the cities of Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina, Minnetonka, and Richfield.

I-494 is Important to the Region

• 19% of metro area population lives along corridor.
• 21% of metro area jobs are located on corridor.
• Largest number of metro area hospitality and hotel sites
• Major destinations such as MSP Airport and the Mall of America are accessed by corridor.
• I-494 provides access to the rest of the metro area through its connections to other major highways. For example, the I-494/35W interchange is the most heavily traveled in the entire region - handling more than 200,000 vehicles daily.

I-494 History

1950's and 1960's - contruction of various segments Mid-1980s - six-lane portion of freeway reaches capacity. 1986 - Metropolitan Council studies corridor growth 1992 - Draft of Environmental Impact Statement for I-494 reconstruction distributed 1995 - Final Environmental Impact statement released. By 1998, portions of I-494 are 50% over capacity 2004 - Reconstruction of I-494 between Hwy 5 in Eden Prairie and I-394 in Minnetonka commences.

I-494 Reconstruction

2004 - Reconstruction of I-494 between Hwy 5 in Eden Prairie and I-394 in Minnetonka (Stage 2) commences. September 2006 - MnDOT celebrates completion of the Stage 2 Reconstruction. No further projects are included in current funding plans until 2016. Learn more about MnDOT's future construction plans at their Project Information Website.