Minnesota State Highway 16

Minnesota State Highway 16 (MN 16) is a two-lane highway in southeast Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate Highway 90 in Dexter and continues east to its eastern terminus at the Wisconsin state line concurrent with U.S. Highways 14 and 61 outside La Crescent just west of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The route was designated as a National Scenic Byway in 2003 as the Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway. The roadway follows the route of old U.S. Highway 16.

Highway 16 is 88 miles (142 km) in length.

Route description

The La Crosse West Channel Bridge carrying US Route 14, US Route 61, Minnesota State Highway 16, and Wisconsin State Highway 16 across the Mississippi River between La Crescent, Minnesota, and La Crosse, Wisconsin. This is the river's West Channel.

State Highway 16 serves as an east–west route in southeast Minnesota between Dexter, Spring Valley, Preston, Rushford, Houston, and La Crescent. Highway 16 parallels Interstate 90 throughout its route in southeast Minnesota.

The route passes through the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest in Fillmore and Houston counties.

Forestville Mystery Cave State Park is located near Highway 16 in Fillmore County. The park is located between Spring Valley and Preston.

The eastern terminus for Highway 16 is the Wisconsin state line at the Mississippi River outside La Crescent, concurrent with U.S. Highways 14 and 61.

The western terminus for the route is its interchange with Interstate 90 in Dexter.

History

State Highway 16 was designated in 1980. The route was originally part of old U.S. Highway 16 from 1926 to 1980.

U.S. 16 was mostly replaced by Interstate Highway 90 within Minnesota.

State Highway 16 from Dexter to La Crescent is the only remaining section of this former U.S. route that exists as a trunk highway separate from Interstate 90.

After crossing the Mississippi River Bridge and the Wisconsin state line, old U.S. 16 continues on as Wisconsin Highway 16.

The only section of U.S. Highway 16 that remains in the present day is the east–west route between Rapid City, South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Mower	Dexter	0.000– 0.202	0.000– 0.325	I-90 – Austin, Rochester
	Frankford Township	11.182	17.996	US 63 north – Stewartville	Western end of US 63 overlap
Fillmore	Spring Valley	16.327	26.276	US 63 south – Chester, Iowa	Eastern end of US 63 overlap
	Fillmore Township	22.602	36.374	MN 80 north / CSAH 5 south – Wykoff, Forestville Mystery Cave State Park
	Fountain Township	31.675	50.976	US 52 north – Chatfield	Western end of US 52 overlap
	Preston Township	35.210	56.665	US 52 south – Harmony	Eastern end of US 52 overlap
	Lanesboro	40.534	65.233	MN 250 – Root River State Trail
	Rushford	58.544	94.217	MN 43 north – Winona	Northern end of MN 43 overlap
	Rushford Village	59.092	95.099	MN 43 south – Mabel	Southern end of MN 43 overlap
Houston	Houston	70.112	112.834	MN 76 north / CSAH 13 south (Grant Street)	Western end of MN 76 overlap
	Houston Township	70.981	114.233	MN 76 south – Caledonia	Eastern end of MN 76 overlap
	Hokah	82.024	132.005	MN 44 west – Caledonia
	La Crescent Township	85.222	137.152	MN 26 south – Brownsville
	La Crescent	87.671	141.093	US 14 west / US 61 north / CSAH 6 west – Winona	Western end of US 14 / US 61 overlap
		89.451	143.957	US 14 east / US 61 south / WIS 16 east – La Crosse	Continuation into Wisconsin
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus