Minnesota State Highway 74

Trunk Highway 74
Route information
Defined by MS § 161.115(5)
Maintained by Mn/DOT
Length:	34.956 mi (56.256 km)
Existed:	1933 – present
Major junctions
South end:	U.S. 52 / MN 30 at Chatfield
	I-90 near St. Charles U.S. 14 at St. Charles
North end:	U.S. 61 at Weaver
Location
Counties:	Fillmore, Olmsted, Winona, Wabasha
Highway system
Minnesota Trunk Highways Interstate US State Legislative routes ← MN 73 US 75 →

Minnesota State Highway 74 (MN 74) is a highway in southeast Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with U.S. Highway 52 and State Highway 30 in Chatfield and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with U.S. Highway 61 at Weaver along the Mississippi River.

It is the only remaining road in the state highway system which is still partially unpaved.

Highway 74 is 35 miles (56 km) in length.

Route description

State Highway 74 serves as a north–south route in southeast Minnesota between Chatfield, St. Charles, Elba, and Weaver.

Highway 74 begins at its intersection with U.S. 52 and State Highway 30 in Chatfield and continues north through the unincorporated communities of Troy and Saratoga. Highway 74 has a junction with Interstate 90 just south of St. Charles. In St. Charles, Highway 74 becomes Main Street, also known as Whitewater Avenue, until it joins U.S. Highway 14 briefly. Highway 74 runs concurrent west with Highway 14 for less than a mile. The route continues north again, passing through Whitewater State Park and the town of Elba.

7 miles (11 km) of the route near the northern end, in what is known as the Weaver Bottoms, are unpaved gravel. Highway 74 ends at its junction with U.S. Highway 61 in Weaver.

The route is legally defined as Legislative Route 74 in the Minnesota Statutes.^[1]

History

Highway 74 was authorized in 1933. The south end of Highway 74 previously extended south of Chatfield to old U.S. Highway 16 at Spring Valley until 1974.^[2] As a result of this, the present day mile markers begin at mile 20. Highway 74 follows, in part, an old route which was one of the first public roads in the Minnesota Territory.

In 1953, the route was still gravel south of U.S. Highway 14. Highway 74 was paved by 1960,^[2] except for the northernmost 7 miles, which is still gravel in the present day.

Flood

The 2007 Midwest flooding caused much damage to Highway 74. On August 18 and 19, 2007, the flooded Whitewater River destroyed bridges and washed out the roadway in several places. By 2008, repairs were complete.

Images

• 

  The southern terminus of MN 74 in Chatfield

• 

  At the northern end of the unpaved portion of MN 74, near Weaver

• 

  MN 74 during the 2007 flood

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Fillmore	Chatfield	20.040	32.251	US 52 / MN 30 west – Preston, Rochester	Western end of MN 30 overlap
Olmsted	Elmira Township	24.178	38.911	MN 30 east – Rushford	Eastern end of MN 30 overlap
Winona	St. Charles Township	32.348	52.059	I-90 – Austin, La Crosse	I-90 exit 233; interchange.
	St. Charles	33.719	54.265	US 14 east – Winona	Eastern end of US 14 overlap
		33.945	54.629	US 14 west	Western end of US 14 overlap
Wabasha	Weaver	54.996	88.507	US 61 – Wabasha, Winona
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

Route map: Bing / Google

1. "161.115, Additional Trunk Highways". Minnesota Statutes. Office of the Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota. 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
2. Riner, Steve. "Details of routes 51–75". The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Self-published. Retrieved October 29, 2010.