Minnesota State Highway 74

{{short description|State highway in Minnesota, United States}} {{Use American English|date=April 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox road |state=MN |type=MN |route = 74 |map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=240|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Minnesota State Highway 74}}}} |map_custom=yes |map_notes=MN 74 highlighted in red |established = 1933 |length_mi = 34.956 |length_ref = |section=115 |subsection=5 |direction_a = South |direction_b = North |terminus_a = {{Jct|state=MN|US|52|MN|30}} at Chatfield |terminus_b = {{Jct|state=MN|US|61}} at Weaver |junction={{Jct|state=MN|I|90}} near St. Charles<br>{{Jct|state=MN|US|14}} at St. Charles |counties=Fillmore, Olmsted, Winona, Wabasha |previous_type=MN |previous_route=73 |next_type=US |next_route=75 }} '''Minnesota State Highway 74''' ('''MN 74''') is a {{convert|34.956|mi|km|-long|adj=mid}} highway in southeast Minnesota that 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 that is still partially unpaved.<ref name=minnesotago>{{cite journal | author = Minnesota Department of Transportation | date = 2018 | title = Minnesota's Aging Infrastructure | url = http://www.minnesotago.org/application/files/1714/5209/8834/AgingInfrastructure_Public_Final.pdf | page=2 | quote=Today, almost all of the state highway system has been paved, with the exception of 14 lane-miles on Minnesota Highway 74 near Weaver, Minnesota in the southeast part of the state.}}</ref>

==Route description== State Highway 74 serves as a north–south route in southeast Minnesota between Chatfield, St. Charles, Elba, and Weaver. It is legally defined as Legislative Route 74 in the Minnesota Statutes.<ref name=161.115>{{cite web |url=https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=161.115 |title=161.115, Additional Trunk Highways |work=Minnesota Statutes |publisher=Office of the Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota |date=2010 |accessdate=October 29, 2010}}</ref>

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. The highway ends at its junction with U.S. Highway 61 in Weaver, Minnesota. About {{convert|11|mi|km}} of the northern end of the route through the Whitewater Wildlife Management Area from Beaver to Weaver, in what is known as the ''Weaver Bottoms'', are unpaved gravel.<ref name=AnswerMan>{{cite news |author= |title=Answer Man: Highway is road not taken by pavers |url=http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/answer-man-highway-is-road-not-taken-by-pavers/article_2a58c665-5228-5a1c-b587-aeafe369a388.html |work=Post-Bulletin |location=Rochester, Minnesota |date=October 26, 2012}}</ref><ref name=Beaver2Weaver>{{cite web |url=https://www.dot.state.mn.us/d6/newsrels/17/05/22hwy74.html |title=Hwy 74 reopens Beaver to Weaver in Whitewater Wildlife Management Area |author= |date=May 22, 2017 |website=Minnesota Department of Transportation |publisher=State of Minnesota |quote=The stretch from Beaver (Winona County Road 30) to Weaver (Wabasha County Road 26) is MnDOT’s only gravel road and is within the Whitewater Wildlife Management Area north of Elba. }}</ref> [[File:MN 74.jpg|thumb|center|MN 74 by Whitewater State Park]]

==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.<ref name=riner>{{riner |route=74 |access date=October 29, 2010}}</ref> As a result of this, the present day mile markers begin at mile 20. Highway 74 follows, in part, an old route that was one of the first public roads in the Minnesota Territory.<ref name=RochesterMagazine>{{cite news |author= |title=The Top Ten Motorcycle Rides of Southeastern Minnesota? |url=https://www.postbulletin.com/magazines/rochester/features/the-top-ten-motorcycle-rides-of-southeastern-minnesota/article_50448db6-d459-5e7e-85fe-0671b0af60c1.html |work=Rochester Magazine |publisher=Rochester Post-Bulletin |date=September 25, 2016 |quote= Some portions date back to earliest public roads in the territory.}}</ref>

In 1953, the route was still gravel south of U.S. Highway 14. Highway 74 was paved by 1960,<ref name=riner/> except for the northernmost {{convert|7|mi}}.<ref name=Krueger1>{{cite news |last=Krueger |first=Andrew |date=July 28, 2018 |title=Rustic remnant: A trip along Minnesota's last unpaved state highway |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/07/28/rustic-remnant-a-trip-along-minnesotas-last-unpaved-state-highway |work=Minnesota Public Radio |location=Weaver, Minnesota |quote=A seven-mile gravel stretch of the highway is the last unpaved road maintained by state transportation workers.}}</ref> Then in summer of 2021, additional {{convert|4|mi}} had its paving removed, extending the total unpaved portion of the route to {{convert|11|mi}}.<ref name=Krueger2>{{cite news |last=Krueger |first=Andrew |date=August 15, 2021 |title=Minnesota's last stretch of unpaved state highway will get a little longer |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/08/15/minnesotas-last-stretch-of-unpaved-state-highway-will-get-a-little-longer |work=Minnesota Public Radio |location=Weaver, Minnesota |quote=Now the agency says it's going to convert another four miles of Highway 74 to gravel, north of the community of Elba. Work to remove the existing pavement starts Monday and is expected to take about a month.}}</ref>

===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== <gallery> Image:ChatfieldMNdowntown2006-05-01.JPG|The southern terminus of MN 74 in Chatfield Image:MNhwy74s2006-04-09.JPG|At the northern end of the unpaved portion of MN 74, near Weaver </gallery>

==Major intersections== {{Jcttop|length_ref=}} {{MNint |county=Fillmore |cspan=2 |location=Spring Valley |type=closed |mile=0.000 |road={{jct|state=MN|US 1961|63|US 1961|16|location1=Chester IA|city2=Preston|city3=Austin}} |notes=Programmed mile 0; former southern terminus; now MN 16 }} {{MNint |location=Chatfield |type=concur |mile=20.040 |road={{jct|state=MN|US|52|MN|30|dir2=west|CSAH|2|county3=Fillmore|city1=Preston|city2=Rochester}} |notes=Southern end of MN 30 overlap }} {{MNint |county=Olmsted |location=Elmira Township |type=concur |mile=24.178 |road={{jct|state=MN|MN|30|dir1=east|city1=Rushford}} |notes=Northern end of MN 30 overlap }} {{MNint |county=Winona |cspan=3 |location=St. Charles Township |mile=32.348 |road={{jct|state=MN|I|90|city1=Austin|location2=La Crosse}} |notes=I-90 exit 233; interchange. }} {{MNint |location=St. Charles |lspan=2 |type=concur |mile=33.719 |road={{jct|state=MN|US|14|dir1=east|city1=Winona}} |notes=Southern end of US 14 overlap }} {{MNint |mile=33.945 |type=concur |road={{jct|state=MN|US|14|dir1=west|city1=Rochester}} |notes=Northern end of US 14 overlap }} {{MNint |county=Wabasha |location=Weaver |mile=54.996 |road={{jct|state=MN|US|61|city1=Wabasha|city2=Winona}} }} {{Jctbtm|keys=closed,concur}}

==References== {{Attached KML|display=title,inline}} {{reflist}}

074 Category:Transportation in Fillmore County, Minnesota Category:Transportation in Olmsted County, Minnesota Category:Transportation in Winona County, Minnesota Category:Transportation in Wabasha County, Minnesota