Minnesota State Highway 56
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| Trunk Highway 56 |
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| Length: | 98 mi (158 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1934 | ||||||||
| Decomd.: | -- | ||||||||
| South end: |  US 63 near Chester |
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| Major junctions: |
 I-90 in Austin MN 30 in Hayfield US 14 in Dodge Center MN 60 in Kenyon |
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| North end: |   US 52, MN 50 in Hampton |
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| Counties: | Fillmore , Mower , Dodge , Goodhue , Dakota | ||||||||
| Major cities: | Dodge Center | ||||||||
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Minnesota State Highway 56 is a highway which runs from US Highway 52 and Minnesota State Highway 50 in Hampton, Minnesota to US Highway 63 near the Minnesota border and Chester, Iowa.
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[edit] Route Description
Highway 56 starts near the Iowa border and heads west through the towns of Le Roy, Adams, Taopi and Rose Creek. Near Le Roy, Highway 56 passes near Lake Louise State Park. The road heads due north west of Rose Creek and intersects Interstate 90 five miles east of Austin. Highway 56 heads through northern Mower County and enters Dodge County north of Waltham. Highway 30 intersects this road just west of Hayfield. Ten miles north of Hayfield, Highway 56 is concurrent with the U.S. Highway 14 bypass around Dodge Center. After passing through West Concord, the road crosses into Goodhue County. In Kenyon, Highway 56 intersects Minnesota State Highway 60 and Minnesota State Highway 246 north of the city. The intersection of Highway 56 and Minnesota State Highway 19 is located between Northfield and Cannon Falls. Highway 56 enters Dakota County near Randolph, and continues for ten more miles until it reaches its terminus near Hampton.
[edit] Communities Along Route
- Chester, Iowa
- Le Roy
- Taopi
- Adams
- Rose Creek
- Brownsdale
- Waltham
- Hayfield
- Dodge Center
- West Concord
- Kenyon
- Randolph
- Hampton
[edit] History
Highway 56 was originally commissioned as a "Constitutional Route" in 1920. This segment is between I-90 and Kenyon. The route was extended south to US 63 and north through the Twin Cities to U.S. Highway 169 in Aitkin in 1933. The road was then terminated to various locations in St. Paul from 1963-1974. (The portion of the road through and north of Minneapolis became Minnesota State Highway 47.) Highway 56 had its northern terminus at Minnesota State Highway 3 in downtown St. Paul from 1974-1994, and has ended at its current northern terminus since 1994. The former part of the road from I-494 to US 52 in St. Paul is now marked as MN 156.
[edit] Miscellaneous
Highway 56 from US 63 north to the junction with I-90 is marked as the Shooting Star Scenic byway. This byway is so named because of the endangered wildflowers that bloom in June and July.
[edit] Major Intersections
| County | Location | Mile | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fillmore | Chester, Iowa | 0 | US 63-Spring Valley, Minnesota, New Hampton, Iowa |
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| Mower | Austin | 31 | Interstate 90-Austin, Dexter |
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| Dodge | Hayfield | 46 | MN 30-Blooming Prairie, Hayfield |
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| Dodge | Dodge Center | 56 | US 14-Owatonna, Rochester |
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| Goodhue | Kenyon | 75 | MN 60-Faribault, Wanamingo |
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| Goodhue | Kenyon | 77 |  MN 246-Nerstrand |
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| Goodhue | Stanton | 89 |  MN 19-Northfield, Cannon Falls |
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| Dakota | Hampton | 98 | US 52 and MN 50-Hampton, St. Paul, Red Wing, Cannon Falls |
Highway 56 intersects one of the exit ramps of US 52 |
[edit] References
- Adam Froehlig (April 14, 2003). Minnesota Highway 56. Minnesota Highway Endings. Accessed March 2, 2007.
- Steve Riner (December 27, 2003). Details of Routes 51-75. The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Accessed March 2, 2007.
