Paul Bunyan Expressway


The Paul Bunyan Expressway is a route that runs from Little Falls, Minnesota to Wilton, Minnesota. The route serves as an important link between Central and Northern Minnesota. Not only does it allow people from the Twin Cities to travel to their lake cabins, but also allows for the transport of goods to the northern part of the state. The route runs south–north from U.S Highway 10 in Little Falls to Minnesota State Highway 89 in Wilton

Route description

The Paul Bunyan Expressway departs Little Falls, Minnesota as a freeway north towards Brainerd following MN 371.
The Paul Bunyan Expressway motorway ends a few miles north of MN 115 at CR 48, but continues as a four-lane dual carriageway for to Jenkins, where it becomes a two-lane road until Walker.
In Walker the Paul Bunyan Expressway turns left to remain on MN 371 until Cass Lake. There, the Paul Bunyan Expressway turns west to follow US 2 as a four-lane dual carriageway for to the end of the intersection with MN 89 in Wilton.

Future

In 2017 a group of state representatives met to discuss the possibility of expanding the rest of the route especially from the Brainerd-Lakes area to Cass Lake to a four-lane dual carriageway. They cited safety and a faster travel time as their reasons to do so. As of July 2020, no legislation has been passed to convert the rest of the route to a dual carriageway, however, in 2019 there was an open house for local residents to voice the options about upgrading some junctions on the road.