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.
 U.S. Highway 2 | ||||
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 US 2 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NDDOT | ||||
| Length | 358.090 mi[1] (576.290 km) | |||
| Existed | 1926–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 2 at the Montana state line | |||
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| East end | US 2 at the Minnesota state line | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | North Dakota | |||
| Counties | Williams, Mountrail, Ward, McHenry, Pierce, Benson, Ramsey, Nelson, Grand Forks | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
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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, Bismarck–Mandan, Jamestown, and Fargo–West 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
edit| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams | | 0.000 | 0.000 |  US 2 west (Theodore Roosevelt Expressway) – Wolf Point, Glasgow | Continuation into Montana |
| 12.449 | 20.035 |  ND 1804 west – Trenton, Fairview | West end of ND 1804 concurrency | ||
| 14.919 | 24.010 |  US 85 – Watford City | Williston Bypass; east end of Theodore Roosevelt Expressway | ||
| Williston | 17.923 | 28.844 |   US 2 Bus. east / ND 1804 east (2nd Street W) | East end of ND 1804 concurrency; former US 85 Bus. | |
| 20.383 | 32.803 | US 2 Bus. west (2nd Avenue W) | Eastern terminus of US 2 Bus., former US 85 Bus. | ||
| 25.674 | 41.318 |   US 85 south / US 85B south – Epping Springbrook Dam, Springbrook | Williston Bypass; west end of US 85 concurrency, northern terminus of US 85B | ||
| | 32.441 | 52.209 |  US 85 north – Fortuna | East end of US 85 concurrency | |
| 64.207 | 103.331 |  ND 40 north – Tioga | Southern terminus of ND 40 | ||
| Mountrail | Stanley | 90.664 | 145.910 |  ND 8 – Bowbells, New Town | |
| Ward | Berthold | 123.407 | 198.604 |  ND 28 north – Carpio | Southern terminus of ND 28 |
| | 134.397 | 216.291 |  US 52 west – Kenmare, Portal | West end of US 52 concurrency | |
| Minot | 143.882 | 231.556 |   US 83 Byp. north – Air Base | North end of US 83 Byp. concurrency | |
| 144.326 | 232.270 | US 2 Bus. east / US 52 Bus. east (W Burdick Expressway) | Western terminus of US 2 Bus. and US 52 Bus. | ||
| 146.366 | 235.553 | US 83 (S Broadway Street) – Air Base, Bismarck | South end of US 83 Byp. concurrency | ||
| 148.753 | 239.395 | US 52 east / US 52 Bus. west (Valley Street) – Jamestown | East end of US 52 concurrency, eastern terminus of US 52 Bus. | ||
| 150.841 | 242.755 | US 2 Bus. west (E Burdick Expressway) – Minot | Eastern terminus of US 2 Bus. | ||
| McHenry | | 164.236 | 264.312 |  ND 41 south – Velva | Northern terminus of ND 41 |
| 188.118 | 302.747 |  ND 14 south – Drake | West end of ND 14 concurrency | ||
| Towner | 191.834 | 308.727 | ND 14 north (Main Street) – Upham | East end of ND 14 concurrency | |
| Pierce | Rugby | 210.880 | 339.378 |  ND 3 (3rd Avenue SW) – Dunseith, Harvey | |
| Benson | | 233.427 | 375.664 |  ND 30 south – Harlow, Maddock | Northern terminus of ND 30 |
| 245.703 | 395.421 |  US 281 south – Minnewaukan | West end of US 281 concurrency | ||
| 248.758 | 400.337 | US 281 north – Cando | East end of US 281 concurrency | ||
| Ramsey | Churchs Ferry | 249.961 | 402.273 | US 281 Bus. north (66th Avenue NE) – Churchs Ferry | Southern terminus of US 281 Bus. |
| Devils Lake | 268.630 | 432.318 |  ND 19 (4th Street NW) – Business District, Minnewaukan | ||
| 269.354 | 433.483 |  ND 20 (College Drive N) – Starkweather, Camp Grafton, Fort Totten | |||
| Nelson | Lakota | 295.468 | 475.510 |  ND 1 (6th Street E) – Langdon, Pekin | |
| Michigan | 305.622 | 491.851 |  ND 35 north – Michigan, Whitman | Southern terminus of ND 35 | |
| Petersburg | 312.050 | 502.196 |  ND 32 south – Aneta | West end of ND 32 concurrency | |
| Grand Forks | Niagara | 317.512 | 510.986 | ND 32 north – Edinburg | East end of ND 32 concurrency |
| | 330.520 | 531.920 |  ND 18 – Larimore, Cavalier | ||
| Grand Forks | 355.479 | 572.088 |   I-29 / US 81 – Fargo, Winnipeg | Exit 141 on I-29 | |
| 357.460 | 575.276 | US 81 Bus. (N Washington Street) – Grafton | |||
| 357.539 | 575.403 | US 2 Bus. east (N 5th Street) | Western terminus of US 2 Bus. | ||
| Red River of the North | 358.090 | 576.290 | North Dakota–Minnesota state line | ||
| US 2 east – East Grand Forks, Crookston | Continuation into Minnesota | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
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References
edit- ^ a b "Route and Mileage Map Insets" (PDF). North Dakota Department of Transportation. 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
- ^ "US 2, US 83, 22nd Avenue intersection at Minot" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
- ^ "Geographical Center of North America". Rugby, ND: Rugby Area Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
External links
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Media related to U.S. Route 2 in North Dakota at Wikimedia Commons
