Minnesota State Highway 121

Minnesota State Highway 121 (MN 121) is a short freeway stub in Minnesota. It is less than one mile (1.6 km) in length.

Trunk Highway 121
MN 121 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MnDOT
Length	0.937 mi[1] (1.508 km)
Existed	1935, 1979[2]–present
Major junctions
South end	I-35W in Richfield
	MN 62 in Minneapolis
North end	CSAH 22 in Minneapolis
Location
Counties	Hennepin
Highway system
Minnesota Trunk Highways Interstate U.S. State Legislative routes ← MN 120 → MN 123

Highway 121 runs between Interstate Highway 35W in Richfield and Lyndale Avenue South (County 22) in Minneapolis where it intersects West 58th Street. There was one interchange leading to westbound Highway 62, but this has been reconfigured from a freeway-to-freeway configuration into a half-trumpet configuration with signals on Highway 121.

Route description

State Highway 121 serves as a freeway connector stub on the Minneapolis / Richfield boundary line. The short route connects I-35W, Highway 62, and Lyndale Avenue in South Minneapolis.

The route is located in Hennepin County.

When traveling on I-35W northbound in Richfield, Highway 121 is accessed by the "Highway 62 west / 58th Street " exit. 58th Street is then followed.

History

Before I-35W was completed to downtown Minneapolis, old U.S. Highway 65 briefly took this stub (present day 121) to rejoin its old alignment on Lyndale Avenue South. A 1961 road map shows I-35W separating from Lyndale Avenue South at about 58th Street, then continuing south along its present alignment in Richfield and south into Bloomington. Highway 121 was designated on its current alignment in 1979 after I-35W was built along the Crosstown (State Highway 62) and along 2nd Avenue South going into downtown.

Early history

Prior to 1979, State Highway 121 was routed on different alignments on various surface streets in South Minneapolis. The first alignment of 121 on France Avenue South was signed in 1935 between 50th Street northbound to Excelsior Boulevard. The route alignment of 121 was changed in 1957, 1969, 1979, and 1988. The surface streets that 121 had followed throughout these years included France Avenue South, 50th Street, Lyndale Avenue South, and 46th Street. All are now county marked routes.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Hennepin County.

Location	mi[3]	km	Destinations	Notes
Richfield	0.000	0.000	I-35W	Interchange
Richfield–Minneapolis line	0.259– 0.376	0.417– 0.605	MN 62	Interchange
Minneapolis	0.937	1.508	CSAH 22 north (S. Lyndale Avenue) / W. 58th Street	Old U.S. 65
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. "2008 Trunk Highway Control Section Report" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
2. Riner, Steve. "Details of Routes 101-149". The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Retrieved 2006-04-03.
3. "Trunk Highway Log Point Listing - Construction District 5" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 20, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 27, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2010.