394? 494? 694?: Why Are Highways Named The Way They Are?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- They are the roads we drive every day. It's become so routine that we might not even think about how they're named and numbered.

But WCCO viewer named Maryse from Minneapolis did. She wanted to know: Why do we have a 394, 494 and 694?

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is the organization in charge of for highway standards, procedures and numbering. They have a set of rules that specify how all highways are numbering.

To answer this question, it's necessary to go back to 1956 when the parent highway, I-94, was first created. I-394, I-494 and I-694 later become part of its family.

I-694 was created in 1970. It's a loop that circles the Twin Cities and connects back to I-94 at both ends. I-494 came later in 1985 and is a southern loop off of I-94.

Given both highways are loops, AASHTO says the first digit of the three-digit highways is even. That's why the loops are I-494 and I-694.

When highways are spurs – which connect to the parent at one end – like 394, the first digit of the three-digit highway is odd. Hence, I-394.

So, why is there no I-194 or I-294? That's because there's already a Highway 194 in Duluth and there used to be an I-294 in Willmar that closed down in 2006.