At 343.723 miles (553.169 km) in length, it is the second longest state route in Minnesota, after MN 1.

It indirectly connects Duluth to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and passes through the cities of St.

MN 23 directly serves Pipestone, Marshall, Granite Falls, Willmar, Paynesville, Cold Spring, St.

Portions of MN 23 that have been upgraded to a four-lane expressway include approximately nine miles (14 km) in the Marshall area in addition to longer stretches between Willmar and New London, and between Richmond and Waite Park (St.

For a majority of the Willmar area, MN 23 runs concurrently with U.S. Highway 71 (US 71), which includes a freeway bypass of the city.

Running over surface streets in certain towns, MN 23 is also known as: The highway serves: About 50 miles (80 km) of MN 23 that travels through Pine, Carlton, and Saint Louis counties is officially designated the Veterans Evergreen Memorial Scenic Drive.

At 133rd Avenue West, along the southern edge of Duluth, MN 23 crosses the Saint Louis River into Douglas County, Wisconsin, in the Town of Superior, for one-half mile (800 m) before re-entering Minnesota.

Intercity bus service along the MN 23 corridor is provided along the southwestern portion of the highway between Willmar and Pipestone by Jefferson Lines.

However a financial crisis in the early 1980s led to the northbound lanes being unpaved, and the bypass had been scaled down to a two-lane facility by the time it opened in 1985.

While this section is technically part of the St. Cloud-to-I-35 portion of the corridor (and thus has less overall priority), the increase in traffic along this particular stretch led to a decision to expand the highway, as there have been major safety and mobility issues the last couple decades due to growth in the St.

[citation needed] MnDOT has designated MN 23 as a medium-priority Interregional Corridor along the majority of its length.

This resulted in the creation of the Highway 23 Coalition, and its ultimate vision for MN 23 is a four-lane expressway running from its interchange with I-90 in the southwest corner of Minnesota northeastward to its interchange with I-35 near Hinckley, although severe funding shortages are currently limiting expansion to certain segments.

In addition, southwest Minnesota lacks four-lane access to both the Twin Cities (Minneapolis–Saint Paul) and the Interstate Highway System, and a MN 23 expressway from Willmar (which is the largest municipality in southwest Minnesota) to St.

The nine-mile (14 km) North Gap started expansion in May 2022, and is expected to complete in November 2023.