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Template:Infobox MN state highway Minnesota State Highway 371 is a 110-mile long highway connecting Minnesota's northern lakes region with the Twin Cities. It runs from the interchange of U.S. Highway 10 and Minnesota 371 in Little Falls and continues north to its northern terminus at the intersection of U.S. Highway 2 and Minnesota 371 in Cass Lake.

41-miles of the route is a four-lane expressway from Little Falls to Nisswa.

Minnesota Highway 371 passes through the communities of:

Notes

Minnesota Highway 371 serves as north-south arterial route between Little Falls, Brainerd, Baxter, Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Walker, and Cass Lake in central Minnesota.

For part of its route (8-miles), Highway 371 overlaps Minnesota Highway 200 through the city of Walker.

Minnesota Highway 371 passes through the counties of:

• Morrison County
• Crow Wing County
• Cass County

Highway 371 passes through the Welsh Lake State Forest and the Chippewa National Forest in Cass County.

Highway 371 crosses the Mississippi River immediately south of Baxter.

Highway 371 designations

• On August 7, 2006, the highway was dedicated as the Purple Heart Memorial Highway in honor of veterans who have been wounded or died in combat. (August 2006 news article - Purple Heart Memorial Highway dedicated - Link)

• Most of Highway 371, except for the Brainerd bypass, is also officially designated the Paul Bunyan Expressway. This is a unique name designation because the portion of Highway 371 from Nisswa to Cass Lake is not built to expressway standards.

• The 6-mile portion of Highway 371 bypass around Brainerd is officially designated the C. Elmer Anderson Memorial Highway.

State Park

• Crow Wing State Park is located on Highway 371 at the confluence of the Mississippi and Crow Wing Rivers. The park is located immediately south of Brainerd and Baxter.

(Minnesota DNR website for Crow Wing State Park - Link)

Improvements

For the most part Highway 371 has been a high-volume, two-lane highway. Because of increases in traffic, especially during times of peak recreational demand, Highway 371 has been the focus of many highway upgrades in the area:

• In 2005, the remaining segment of the project that converted Highway 371 to a four-lane expressway from Little Falls to Baxter was completed. This project included a bypass of Brainerd, which opened in 2000. (The former route of Highway 371 through Brainerd is still part of the Minnesota State Highway System and known as Minnesota Highway 371 - Business.)

• Plans are also in the works to upgrade the 16-mile segment of Highway 371 from Nisswa to Pine River to a four-lane expressway, with construction tentatively scheduled to begin around 2011.

Termini

The southern terminus for Minnesota 371 is its interchange with U.S. Highway 10 in Little Falls.

The northern terminus for Minnesota 371 is its intersection with U.S. Highway 2 in Cass Lake.

History

Minnesota Highway 371 was designated and signed in 1973.

Minnesota 371 previously U.S. 371

Minnesota 371 was originally designated as U.S. Route 371 from 1931 to 1973.

During 1973, U.S. Route 371 was re-designated Minnesota 371.

The former U.S. Route 371 designation was concurrent with U.S. Route 2 from 1931 to 1973 between Cass Lake and Bemidji.

Reference

• Steve Riner (December 26, 2005). Details of Routes 288-694. Accessed March 11, 2006.

• State highways in Minnesota
• State highways inspired by US highways
• Former U.S. Highways
• U.S. Highways in Minnesota