Minnesota State Highway 33

Trunk Highway 33
Route information
Defined by MS § 161.115(95)
Maintained by Mn/DOT
Length:	19.748 mi (31.781 km)
Existed:	1933 – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-35 at Cloquet
	US 2 at Saginaw
North end:	US 53 at Independence
Location
Counties:	Carlton, St. Louis
Highway system
Minnesota Trunk Highways Interstate US State Legislative routes ← MN 32 MN 34 →

Minnesota State Highway 33 (MN 33) is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate 35 at Cloquet and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with U.S. Highway 53 at Independence. The highway is constructed as a four-lane expressway with a 65 mph (105 km/h) speed limit, except for a short distance through the city of Cloquet, where the route is located on a four-lane city surface street.

Highway 33 is a bypass of Duluth for travelers headed to the Iron Range of northern Minnesota and International Falls. The route connects Interstate 35 at Cloquet with U.S. 53 at Independence.

The route is 20 miles (32 km) in length.

Route description

Highway 33 serves as a north–south route between Cloquet and Independence in northeast Minnesota.

The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with Interstate 35 at Exit 237 on the south side of Cloquet. All Highway 33 southbound traffic must enter the I-35 freeway at this interchange. Heading northbound, Highway 33 has a signal-controlled intersection with Big Lake Road / Doddridge Avenue (County 7) in Cloquet. Highway 33 then travels through the center of Cloquet's downtown area on a four-lane surface street. In downtown Cloquet, the highway runs past the R.W. Lindholm Service Station, which is the only service station designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Highway 33 then has a signal-controlled intersection with Cloquet Avenue at downtown Cloquet. Highway 33 then crosses the Saint Louis River. The route then has a signal-controlled intersection with North Road. As it leaves Cloquet heading due north, a 65 MPH speed limit begins and the roadway widens out into a four-lane expressway. Immediately north of Cloquet, Highway 33 crosses into Saint Louis County after its intersection with Saint Louis River Road.

North of Cloquet, the terrain that Highway 33 crosses is mostly rural. The route has an intersection with Morris Thomas Road (County 56) and then with Maple Grove Road (County 6). Highway 33 then reaches the unincorporated area of Saginaw about midway through its route, at its intersection with Saginaw Road (County Roads 46 and 694) and the Canadian National railway crossing. The highway has a diamond interchange with U.S. Highway 2 at Saginaw, the only major interchange on the mainline route of Highway 33. The route continues north and has an intersection with Industrial Road (County 7) and then with County 8.

Highway 33 maintains its rural characteristics up to its northern terminus at a Y-interchange with U.S. Highway 53 at Independence. There is no access from northbound Highway 33 to southbound U.S. 53, so all traffic is required to merge onto northbound U.S. 53. To access southbound U.S. 53 at this point, traffic must take a U-turn at an at-grade crossover past the Y-interchange.

All of Highway 33 is officially designated the Voyageurs Highway. The Voyageurs Highway is a state designation that is also applied to various other state highways in Minnesota, including a portion of U.S. Highway 53.

The route is legally defined as Route 164 in the Minnesota Statutes. It is not marked with this number.

History

Highway 33 was authorized in 1933. The original route ran west and south from Cloquet along present-day County Road 7 and County Road 5, intersecting then-U.S. 61 south of U.S. 210 (now State Highway 210).

By 1953, Highway 33 ran along its current alignment.

Highway 33 was paved by 1940 except for the segment between Highways 210 and 61.

The four-lane divided highway / expressway sections of Highway 33 were constructed in pieces from the late 1980s until the early 2000s.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Carlton	Cloquet	0.000	0.000	I-35
		1.242	1.999	CR 16 (Washington Avenue)
		1.719	2.766	CR 7 (Big Lake Road)
		3.369	5.422	CR 2 (North Road)
St. Louis	Brevator Township	6.671	10.736	CR 56 (Morris Thomas Road)
		8.654	13.927	CR 6 (Maple Grove Road)
		11.258	18.118	US 2	Interchange
	Industrial Township	12.891	20.746	CR 46 (Saginaw Road)
		14.892	23.966	CR 7 (Industrial Road)
		16.894	27.188	CR 8
	New Independence Township	19.499	31.381	US 53
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi