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U.S. Route 2 in North Dakota

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U.S. Highway 2 marker
U.S. Highway 2
Map
US 2 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NDDOT
Length358.090 mi[1] (576.290 km)
Existed1926–present
Major junctions
West end US 2 at the Montana state line
Major intersections
East end US 2 at the Minnesota state line
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Dakota
CountiesWilliams, Mountrail, Ward, McHenry, Pierce, Benson, Ramsey, Nelson, Grand Forks
Highway system
  • North Dakota State Highway System
ND 1 ND 3

U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is a 358.090-mile-long (576.290 km) United States Numbered Highway in North Dakota, which runs from the Montana state line east to the Red River at Grand Forks. The route connects the cities of Williston, Minot, and Grand Forks. Of the 358 miles (576 km) of US 2 in North Dakota, all but the westernmost 12 miles (19 km) have four lanes.

Route description

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US 2/US 85 concurrency near Williston

US 2 is an east–west highway that runs through North Dakota's northern tier of larger cities: Williston, Minot, Devils Lake, and Grand Forks. These cities are about 75 to 100 miles (121 to 161 km) north of North Dakota's southern tier of larger cities located on Interstate 94 (I-94): Dickinson, BismarckMandan, Jamestown, and FargoWest Fargo. Each city (or pair) in each tier is separated by about 75 to 125 miles (121 to 201 km).

US 2 intersects two north–south four-lane highways in North Dakota: US 83[2] at Minot and I-29 at Grand Forks. In addition, it junctions with four other U.S. Highways that, except for shorter stretches that are four lanes, are mostly two-lane highways in North Dakota: US 85 at Williston (which is in the process of being converted into an undivided four-lane south of Williston), US 52 at Minot, US 281 at Churchs Ferry (west of Devils Lake), and US 81 at Grand Forks. All six of these highways provide routes either to the border at Mexico or deep into the southern U.S.

Between Williston and Minot, US 2 provides several high points where one can view graceful and beautiful landscape for many miles in all directions. Between Minot and Grand Forks, US 2 provides an ever-changing mix of agricultural farm and pasture land, native wetlands, and small lakes set on a gently rolling landscape. US 2 also passes near a large lake named Devils Lake near the city with the same name. Throughout the state, the route generally travels east–west, following the route of the Great Northern Railway, which is also used by the Empire Builder. The US 2 route through North Dakota was originally named the Wonderland Trail or the Teddy Roosevelt Trail, after the former U.S. president.

In Rugby, just east of the route's intersection with North Dakota Highway 3 (ND 3), the highway passes the location designated in 1931 as the geographical center of North America. The monument marking the geographic center of the continent had to be relocated in 1971 when US 2 was widened from two to four lanes.[3]

The elevation of the highway at the Montana border is approximately 2,250 feet (690 m) above sea level, and approximately 800 feet (240 m) at its crossing of the north-flowing Red River, entering Minnesota at East Grand Forks.

History

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US 2 in North Dakota has undergone significant upgrades over the years, as the state converted large portions of the highway from two lanes to four lanes to enhance safety and accommodate growing traffic demands. The project has been executed in stages over several decades.

The first major section to be upgraded was the stretch from Grand Forks to Minot. This portion was completed in 1996, resulting in a continuous four-lane highway across this vital east-west corridor in the eastern part of the state. The completion of this section was a significant milestone in North Dakota's long-term plan to improve its transportation infrastructure.

Following the completion of the Grand Forks to Minot segment, attention turned to the highway west of Minot. The section from Minot to Williston was upgraded as part of a campaign labeled "Across the State in Two Thousand Eight." This project, which began a few years prior, aimed to complete the four-lane upgrade by 2008. The state successfully met this goal, resulting in approximately 343 miles (552 km) of continuous four-lane highway stretching from North Dakota's eastern border to just past Williston.

Despite these extensive upgrades, a small segment of US 2, approximately 12 miles (19 km) from Williston to the Montana state line, remains a two-lane highway. The North Dakota state government has indicated a willingness to convert this remaining segment to four lanes, contingent upon Montana's agreement to continue the four-lane expansion from the state line into Montana. This potential project highlights the importance of interstate collaboration in regional infrastructure development.

Major intersections

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CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Williams0.0000.000
US 2 west (Theodore Roosevelt Expressway) – Wolf Point, Glasgow
Continuation into Montana
12.44920.035
ND 1804 west – Trenton, Fairview
West end of ND 1804 concurrency
14.91924.010 US 85 – Watford CityWilliston Bypass; east end of Theodore Roosevelt Expressway
Williston17.92328.844


US 2 Bus. east / ND 1804 east (2nd Street W)
East end of ND 1804 concurrency; former US 85 Bus.
20.38332.803

US 2 Bus. west (2nd Avenue W)
Eastern terminus of US 2 Bus., former US 85 Bus.
25.67441.318

US 85 south / US 85B south – Epping Springbrook Dam, Springbrook
Williston Bypass; west end of US 85 concurrency, northern terminus of US 85B
32.44152.209
US 85 north – Fortuna
East end of US 85 concurrency
64.207103.331
ND 40 north – Tioga
Southern terminus of ND 40
MountrailStanley90.664145.910 ND 8 – Bowbells, New Town
WardBerthold123.407198.604
ND 28 north – Carpio
Southern terminus of ND 28
134.397216.291
US 52 west – Kenmare, Portal
West end of US 52 concurrency
Minot143.882231.556

US 83 Byp. north – Air Base
North end of US 83 Byp. concurrency
144.326232.270



US 2 Bus. east / US 52 Bus. east (W Burdick Expressway)
Western terminus of US 2 Bus. and US 52 Bus.
146.366235.553 US 83 (S Broadway Street) – Air Base, BismarckSouth end of US 83 Byp. concurrency
148.753239.395


US 52 east / US 52 Bus. west (Valley Street) – Jamestown
East end of US 52 concurrency, eastern terminus of US 52 Bus.
150.841242.755

US 2 Bus. west (E Burdick Expressway) – Minot
Eastern terminus of US 2 Bus.
McHenry164.236264.312
ND 41 south – Velva
Northern terminus of ND 41
188.118302.747
ND 14 south – Drake
West end of ND 14 concurrency
Towner191.834308.727
ND 14 north (Main Street) – Upham
East end of ND 14 concurrency
PierceRugby210.880339.378 ND 3 (3rd Avenue SW) – Dunseith, Harvey
Benson233.427375.664
ND 30 south – Harlow, Maddock
Northern terminus of ND 30
245.703395.421
US 281 south – Minnewaukan
West end of US 281 concurrency
248.758400.337
US 281 north – Cando
East end of US 281 concurrency
RamseyChurchs Ferry249.961402.273

US 281 Bus. north (66th Avenue NE) – Churchs Ferry
Southern terminus of US 281 Bus.
Devils Lake268.630432.318 ND 19 (4th Street NW) – Business District, Minnewaukan
269.354433.483 ND 20 (College Drive N) – Starkweather, Camp Grafton, Fort Totten
NelsonLakota295.468475.510 ND 1 (6th Street E) – Langdon, Pekin
Michigan305.622491.851
ND 35 north – Michigan, Whitman
Southern terminus of ND 35
Petersburg312.050502.196
ND 32 south – Aneta
West end of ND 32 concurrency
Grand ForksNiagara317.512510.986
ND 32 north – Edinburg
East end of ND 32 concurrency
330.520531.920 ND 18 – Larimore, Cavalier
Grand Forks355.479572.088 I-29 / US 81 – Fargo, WinnipegExit 141 on I-29
357.460575.276
US 81 Bus. (N Washington Street) – Grafton
357.539575.403

US 2 Bus. east (N 5th Street)
Western terminus of US 2 Bus.
Red River of the North358.090576.290North DakotaMinnesota state line

US 2 east – East Grand Forks, Crookston
Continuation into Minnesota
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Route and Mileage Map Insets" (PDF). North Dakota Department of Transportation. 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  2. ^ "US 2, US 83, 22nd Avenue intersection at Minot" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  3. ^ "Geographical Center of North America". Rugby, ND: Rugby Area Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
[edit]
KML is not from Wikidata



U.S. Route 2
Previous state:
Montana
North Dakota Next state:
Minnesota