This Gravel Road Is The Only One Of Its Kind In Minnesota

It might look like an unassuming dirt road in the middle of nowhere, but this gravel road is actually the only one like it throughout the entire state of Minnesota.

As residents of great Minnesota (or 'outstate' if you're not from around here) like to sometimes point out, living in a rural area has some distinct benefits-- like not having to deal with all the trappings that come with living in a major metropolitan area, like the Twin Cities.

Commute times in greater Minnesota aren't as long as those in the Cities, and traffic on highways, while increasing, still isn't as bad as in the Twin Cities metro. And, for the most part, the frequency of violent crimes is often lower, while the general quality of life is often higher in rural Minnesota.

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Of course, there are some downsides to living 'in the sticks,' as my grandpa used to say. Like, for instance, having the only state highway in Minnesota that isn't paved. Wait, what was that? A Minnesota state highway that isn't paved? You heard correctly. It's a state highway that's basically a gravel road. And, it's getting bigger.

In case you didn't know, about an hour and a half southeast of the Twin Cities metro, you'll find Minnesota State Highway 74. It runs between St. Charles in Winona County north to Weaver in Wabasha County and features a 7-mile stretch that is unpaved. It's the only state highway in all of Minnesota that's still made of gravel. The unpaved stretch currently starts at Winona County Rd 30 and runs north through Whitewater State Park and the park management area.

However, in August of 2021, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) said another stretch of Highway 74, a 4-mile section starting just north of Elba, was converted from pavement to gravel. So what's with turning a paved road into a gravel road? Usually, it works the other way around-- MnDOT will usually pave a road that is gravel, right?

Well, not this time. And a lack of money is the reason why. According to a MnDOT release:

The gravel work was done because the maintenance crews are unable keep up with how the road is deteriorating and there is not sufficient funding to do reconstruct and pave the road.

MPR says another reason is that the highway is not traveled very often, noting that, on average, it only sees about 75 cars a day. Compare that to nearby Highway-61, which sees several thousand vehicles a day or highways in the Twin Cities metro that often see well over 100,00 a day and you start to get the picture.

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So, southeast Minnesota will retain the honor of having the only state highway-- out of 11,000 miles of state highways MnDOT says are here in Minnesota-- that's still made of gravel.

A gravel state highway might be something that would surprise visitors to Minnesota. But it's not the ONLY thing... keep scrolling to check out some other items that might surprise first-time visitors to the North Star State!

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