In the case of I-35 in the Twin Cities area, since neither branch is clearly the main route and both branches return to a unified Interstate beyond the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, officials at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) have allowed the suffixes of E and W in Minnesota to remain in the present day.

On the other hand, the portion of I-35E through the West Seventh neighborhood of Saint Paul is a controversial four-lane parkway that heavy trucks are prohibited from using.

Major interchanges south of Saint Paul include Minnesota State Highway 77 (MN 77, signed as Cedar Avenue—exit 92) at Apple Valley–Eagan and I-494 (exits 99A and 99B) in Mendota Heights.

Shepard Road is a four-lane roadway with minimal intersections that follows the Mississippi River northeast into downtown Saint Paul.

[8] The Minnesota Legislature defined I-35E as part of unmarked Legislative Route 390, which stretched south to the Iowa state line and north to the city of Duluth along I-35.

The first section to open ran north from Maryland Avenue in Saint Paul to I-694 in Little Canada; this was completed in the early 1960s, concurrently with I-694 west to old MN 49 (Rice Street).

[9] Later that decade, I-35E was extended south to Downtown Saint Paul, opening first to Pennsylvania Avenue and then to I-94, including the I-35E/I-94 concurrency (and I-94 in both directions[10]).

[14] Even though the connecting piece of I-35W and I-35 at the southern terminus of I-35E in Burnsville opened in the mid-1960s, it was not until the mid-1980s that I-35E was completed south of MN 110 at Mendota Heights and southbound through Eagan and Apple Valley, where there had been a missing link of I-35E for 20 years.

Construction began in 1964 and was planned for completion in the 1970s as a typical six-lane freeway, but, in late 1969, a group of neighbors in the area had formed "Residents in Protest 35E" (R.I.P.

The parties quickly reached an agreement, favorable to the plaintiffs, to halt construction pending an environmental impact statement (EIS).

[11] The Saint Paul City Council decided in late 1974 to support I-35E, possibly due to the influence of proponents.

The plan included a four-lane boulevard expansion of Pleasant Avenue (the street chosen for the I-35E alignment), with another route, such as Shepard Road or the nearby Lafayette Freeway, forming part of I-35E.

In addition to the nearby location of historic districts, hospitals were worried about the effects of vibrations on sensitive operations; MHD solved this problem while the report was being developed.

390, to a point on Short Line Road; thence extending in a northeasterly direction within said corridor of right of way to the intersection of Pleasant Avenue and Kellogg Boulevard in the city of Saint Paul.Legislative Routes 380 and 381 provided for an alternate alignment of I-35E along Shepard Road and a northerly extension of the Lafayette Freeway, while Legislative Route 382 was a "four-lane parkway facility" that MHD could build along the original alignment of I-35E, but without a connection to I-94.

The Metropolitan Council was to complete a draft EIS for the parkway and I-35E by September 1, 1979, with the cooperation of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and Saint Paul.

There was widespread support for a 45-mile-per-hour (72 km/h) parkway, with landscaping and a truck restriction, but the nonconnection to I-94 jeopardized federal Interstate funding since it could no longer be part of the continuous I-35E.

Saint Paul changed its mind again in September 1981, supporting a direct connection, along with MnDOT and the Metropolitan Council.

[11] The suit alleged that the EIS focused almost exclusively on the Pleasant Avenue alignment and that it did not consider the effect of a direct connection on speed limit compliance; faster traffic would mean more noise.

Judge Paul Magnuson ruled in February 1984 that the EIS was valid, stating that the Pleasant Avenue alternative was the only reasonable one that would meet goals.

This court order has been interpreted as a legal contract, prohibiting the state from raising the speed limit or allowing trucks.

[11] Construction went forward, and I-35E was opened from MN 5 north to Saint Clair Avenue in 1984, using original bridges that had been built for three lanes in each direction.

Further extensions, including all new bridges,[13] were opened to Grand Avenue in 1986, to Kellogg Boulevard in November 1988,[17] and to I-94 on October 15, 1990, 26 years after construction began.

[18] The original plans for the I-94 overlap in Downtown Saint Paul did not include the right-side ramps that eliminate weaving.

The ramps were built and temporarily opened in 1992 for high-occupancy vehicles, due to the closure of the nearby Lafayette Bridge (US 52) for reconstruction.

[30] The current layout of the two Interstates now provides for safer exits and entrances, minimal congestion, and better road surface durability.

[citation needed] The 1965 bridge just north of Downtown Saint Paul carrying a daily traffic volume of 148,000 vehicles over Cayuga Street and the BNSF Railway line was rated by MnDOT as meeting minimum tolerable limits in 2006.