Historic U.S. 61: Point Douglas Road, Cottage Grove (Innovation Rd to Kimbro Ave)
Point Douglas Road
(Innovation Rd to Kimbro Ave)
Located In: City of Cottage Grove, Washington County.
Bypassed: 1958
Length: 1.88 miles
Also Marked As:
1935-1958
Until 1934
A long section of Point Douglas Road in Cottage Grove, running from just south of Kimbro Avenue to the entrance of the Cottage View Drive-In, was once part of the original paved highway between St. Paul and Hastings.
Construction
The road was graded and paved with 18 feet of concrete in 1927.
Bypass History
A long section of the old road was left behind as a service drive when U.S. 61/10 through Cottage Grove was upgraded into a divided highway in 1958.
Current Status
A section of the service drive at Innovation Road was destroyed when the interchange was expanded in the early to mid 1970's. The original narrow diamond interchange constructed in 1958 provided access to the 3M plant on the south side of the highway only. The expansion built longer ramps on the north side of the interchange that connected with County Road 19 / Innovation Road.
The section south of Innovation Road is almost totally intact - although the road has been repaved, it appears to have not been widened or rebuilt. The remaining section north of Innovation Road is very short, only running for a short distance at the entrance to the Cottage View drive-in. The service drive was extended north from the drive-in in 1983.
Photo Tour - All photos taken in March, 2007.
Looking north at Kimbro Avenue on Point Douglas Road. Note the
width of the old road compared with the modern divided highway (at left).
Looking back to the south from the same point. The old highway terminates
on the south at a dead-end.
A small roadside rest area still sits between the old and new highways, just
north of Kimbro Ave. At this point it appears that the old concrete pavement
from 1927 has simply been paved over. Note the absence of wide paved shoulders.
Another view, looking north a bit further up the old highway.
"
The old road's grade was a bit steeper (looking north).
At the entrance to "Hope Glen" at the bottom of the hill as seen
in the previous photo. Note the rustic entrance gate.
Looking back down the hill to the south.
Looking north, just south of the Innovation Road interchange (the overpass
bridge, constructed in 1957, is visible on the left).
Looking north, just north of the Innovation Road interchange. Note how the
road here has been widened a bit, and has a more modern pavement.
Looking north at the entrance to the Cottage View Drive-In, one of the few
drive-in theatres left in the Twin Cities area. The service drive was extended north from here in 1983.
