(abbreviated '''I-35W'''), an
Interstate Highway , is the western half of
Interstate 35 where it splits to serve different cities in
Minnesota . I-35 splits into two branch routes, I-35W and
I-35E at
Burnsville . I-35W runs north for 39 miles (63 km), carrying its own separate sequence of exit numbers. It runs through
Minneapolis before rejoining with I-35E to reform I-35 in
Columbus Township . I-35W supplanted the now-
Decommissioned highways of old
US 8 north of Minneapolis and
US 65 south of the city.
Historically, other interstates were given directional suffixes. On every other interstate, the directional suffixes were phased out by giving the route a loop or spur designation. In the case of I-35, since both branches return to a unified interstate beyond the twin cities of
St. Paul and Minneapolis, the
AASHTO committees allowed the suffixes to remain.
Bolded cities are officially-designated
Control Cities for signs.
The route passes through the two most notorious interchanges in the Twin Cities, the
Crosstown Commons at
Minnesota State Highway 62 and
Spaghetti Junction at
Interstate 94 . Reconstruction of both interchanges are on short and long range plans, respectively. In downtown Minneapolis, the interchange with Interstate 94 does not have direct access from southbound I-35W to eastbound I-94 or from westbound I-94 to northbound I-35W. Drivers must use Cedar Avenue and Washington Avenue to make these connections.
No direct access from I-35E to I-35W is provided at either the southern or northern termini. Access from I-35W southbound to I-35E northbound at the southern terminus is possible via County Road 42 within a half-mile (0.8 km) of the terminus.
