Is This the Worst Roadway in All of Minnesota?

It's a title that nobody wants, yet, for the hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans who make their daily commute up and down it each day, it might not come as much of a surprise.

In a video that's amassed over 200,000 views on YouTube, a popular vlogger called out this Interstate for its issues with traffic and congestion and its negative effect on the local environment.

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Welcome to Interstate 94

Credit: Ray Delahanty via YouTube/Canva

Constructed in the late 1950s under the Federal Highway Act of 1956, Interstate 94 runs from Billings, Montana in the west, all the way through to the Canadian border, just outside Detroit, Michigan.

When the freeway was built in the Twin Cities area, it almost instantly became a politically charged firestorm, as its route ran through several historically black neighborhoods in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. On top of that, over the years, many residents who live within the metro have complained about the environmental impact the road has on local neighborhoods, as the freeway runs right through several towns. It also has heavy traffic congestion and continues to divide communities along its corridor, making it hard for people to get to the other side of their own neighborhoods.

The City Nerd (Ray Delahanty) recently called out I 94 in one of his videos and pointed to the fact that the freeway was placed on the infamous 'Freeways Without Futures' list.

I-94 reflects what is an extremely outdated vision of what a city is and what a city should be. 60 years on, the pavement, bridges, and retaining walls are reaching the end of their useful lives and the DOT needs to decide what to build in its place, which could be the same thing, something much worse, or something much better.
-Ray Delahanty via YouTube

As for the 'Freeways Without Futures', the organization didn't hold back on the amount of damage they believe I 94 has done to the Twin Cities metro.

The highway continues to divide communities along the corridor and is a major contributor to pollution. Air pollution along the corridor is nearly three times worse than what is deemed unhealthy by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA.) Ninety-four percent of the project corridor has been identified by the MPCA as “an area of concern for environmental justice.”
-Freeways Without Futures Website

It should be noted that the sate of Minnesota has taken heed of the negative perception I 94 has on area residents. MNDOT (Minnesota Department of Transportation) has setup a website called 'Rethinking I-94' and is actively promoting ideas to support the broader community. Some of its goals include: