Minnesota State Highway 169

Route map:
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Trunk Highway 169 marker

Trunk Highway 169

Map
MN 169 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MnDOT
Length48.853 mi[2] (78.621 km)
ExistedApril 22, 1933[1]–present
Major junctions
South end US 53 at Wuori Township, north of Virginia
Major intersections MN 1 at Vermilion Lake Township
MN 135 at Tower
MN 1 at Ely
North end CR 18 at Fall Lake Township
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountiesSt. Louis, Lake
Highway system
  • Minnesota Trunk Highway System
US 169 MN 171

Minnesota State Highway 169 (MN 169) is a 48.853-mile-long (78.621 km) highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with U.S. Highway 53 in Wuori Township (immediately north of the city of Virginia) and continues northeast to its northern terminus at the intersection of Lake County Road 18 and Power Dam Road in Fall Lake Township (6-miles east of Ely). State Highway 169 becomes Lake County Road 18 at this point.

State Highway 169 is numbered as an extension of U.S. Highway 169, using the same mileage that began at the Iowa state line.

The route runs concurrent with State Highway 1 for 26 miles (42 km) from Vermilion Lake Township (west of Tower) to Ely.

Route description[edit]

Intersection of Highways 1 and 169 in Ely

State Highway 169 serves as a north–south route in northeast Minnesota between the cities of Virginia, Tower, Ely, and Winton.

The route passes through the Superior National Forest at two different points.

Soudan Underground Mine State Park is located near State Highway 169, two miles east of Tower.[3]

Bear Head Lake State Park is located 7 miles south of the junction of State Highway 169 and County Road 128 (in Eagles Nest Township, 9 miles east of Tower). The park entrance is located on County Road 128.[4]

State Highway 169 is one of three Minnesota state marked highways to carry the same number as an existing U.S. marked highway within the state, the others being Highways 61 and 65.

History[edit]

State Highway 169 was numbered as an extension of U.S. 169.

The route was authorized on April 22, 1933 from the city of Virginia to the junction with Highway 135 (formerly 35) in Tower, where the highway terminated until 1953.[5]

The six-mile (10 km) segment running from Ely to Fall Lake Township was authorized in 1949 and originally designated State Highway 221 until 1953, when State Highway 169 was extended over State Highway 1 to Ely.[5]

Highway 169 was paved by 1940. The segment east of Ely was paved by 1950.[5]

Major intersections[edit]

CountyLocationmi[2]kmDestinationsNotes
St. LouisWuori Township368.026–
368.246
592.280–
592.634
US 53 – Virginia, Duluth, International FallsInterchange
Peyla385.366620.186
MN 1 west – Cook
West end of MN 1 overlap
385.461620.339 CSAH 77 (Angus Road) – Vermilion Lake ReservationFormer MN 1 west
Tower389.468626.788
MN 135 south – Aurora
Ely412.690664.160
MN 1 east – Isabella, MN 61
East end of MN 1 overlap
LakeFall Lake Township416.889670.918 Power Dam Road / CSAH 18 (Fernberg Road)Northern terminus; roadway continues as Fernberg Road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References[edit]

KML is from Wikidata
  1. ^ "Chapter 440-H.F. No. 2000", Session Laws of Minnesota for 1933, Mike Holm, Secretary of State, pp. 881–897
  2. ^ a b "Trunk Highway Log Point Listing - Construction District 1" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. August 20, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 4, 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  3. ^ Minnesota DNR website for Soudan Underground Mine State Park
  4. ^ Minnesota DNR website for Bear Head Lake State Park
  5. ^ a b c Riner, Steve. "Details of routes 152–218". The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Retrieved November 21, 2010.[self-published source]