MN 3 serves as a north-south route between Inver Grove Heights, Eagan, Rosemount, Farmington, Northfield, and Faribault. MN 3 travels through open fields just outside of Northfield, and it begins to slope outward as the city is left. Between Farmington and Rosemount, MN 3 is flat and mostly straight through several farm fields. Between Rosemount and Eagan, however, the road is more curvy. MN 3 follows a rail line at this point, and the road is heavily wooded with many sharp turns. Once in Eagan, MN 3 travels through a valley and then continues to a junction with MN 55 in Inver Grove Heights. It continues northbound to its interchange with I-494, and then continues north through rolling, wooded hills over a mostly straight path until its meeting at MN 62. In 2018-19, the Minnesota Department of Transportation quietly changed the designation of unsigned MN 952A to MN 3, effectively extending the route north through West Saint Paul along Robert Street into downtown Saint Paul. Legally, MN 3 is defined as legislative routes 1, 115, and 334 in the Minnesota Statutes. The route is not marked with those numbers. The maximum speed limit posted on MN 3 is 55 mph. However, many sections are posted at lower speeds, particularly through cities and curvier portions of the highway. Speed studies were conducted on the highway in 2015 on the Eagan to Northfield section, and in 2018 on the Northfield to Faribault section. The studies authorized a new maximum allowed speed limit of 60 mph from the south end of Rosemount to Faribault; however, the posted limit remains at 55 mph in these areas.
History
MN 3 was established in 1963, from the southern portion of former MN 218. This route was originally numbered 65 as part of old U.S. Highway 65 from 1927 to 1934. It was built between Faribault and MN 149 in Inver Grove Heights and was paved as early as 1929. The route was renumbered 218 in 1934 as part of old US 218 from 1934 to 1935, which was eventually redesignated MN 218 from 1935 to 1963. The route was renumbered MN 3 in 1963. MN 3 follows a roadway from Faribault to Inver Grove Heights that previously extended north through West St. Paul, downtown Saint Paul, and ended at the State Capitol. This section is still under state maintenance as unmarked MN 952. The route was once part of the Jefferson Highway, an automobile highway stretching through the central U.S. until the late 1920s. MN 3 is still part of unmarked Constitutional Route 1. From the late 1970s to 1994, MN 3 was previously routed on the Lafayette Freeway through South St. Paul / West St. Paul to downtown Saint Paul. Nearby US 52 was routed on a stretch of Robert Street during this period of time. The Lafayette Freeway was completely constructed in 1994, US 52 was then rerouted along that route and MN 3 was shortened to its current northern terminus at its junction with MN 62 in Inver Grove Heights. Recently MnDOT has indicated it considers the stretch of Robert Street from downtown St. Paul through West St. Paul to be Highway 3, and has recently signed the road in West St. Paul with Minnesota Highway 3 shields and reflects the roadway as MN-3 on their project web pages.
