Minnesota Renames Highway 610 for Melissa Hortman
The 12-mile highway will carry the name of the late Minnesota House Speaker, who was killed in a June 2025 attack.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in City Hall
Minnesota is renaming Highway 610 the Hortman Memorial Highway in honor of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman. Gov. Tim Walz is scheduled to unveil and dedicate the highway during a Thursday morning ceremony.
Why it matters
The renaming recognizes Hortman's years of work to secure funding and complete the highway. State lawmakers passed legislation earlier this year recognizing her efforts.
The 12-mile corridor connects Highway 10 in Coon Rapids to Interstate 94 in Maple Grove, with its final phase completed in November 2025. Lawmakers passed legislation earlier this year recognizing Hortman's highway funding efforts, though the extraction does not detail the dollar amounts involved.
The players
Melissa Hortman
Melissa Hortman served as Minnesota House Speaker and was known for her work securing state funding for infrastructure projects before she was killed in a politically motivated attack in June 2025.
Tim Walz
Tim Walz is the Governor of Minnesota, who is scheduled to unveil and dedicate the renamed highway at the Thursday ceremony.
The details
Highway 610 is being renamed the Hortman Memorial Highway during a Thursday morning ceremony at 9 a.m. Hortman and her husband were killed in a politically motivated attack at their Brooklyn Park home in June 2025, five months before the highway's completion.
Timeline
June 2025: Hortman and her husband are killed in an attack at their Brooklyn Park home.
November 2025: The final phase of the Highway 610 corridor is completed.
Earlier in 2026: State lawmakers pass legislation recognizing Hortman's highway funding efforts.
Thursday, 9 a.m.: Dedication ceremony scheduled to rename the highway.
Legal Context
Minnesota's decision to name a highway after a sitting House Speaker follows a longstanding state practice of memorializing public servants through infrastructure names. The renaming comes after lawmakers formally recognized Hortman's funding work through legislation earlier this year.
Drivers traveling the 12-mile corridor between Coon Rapids and Maple Grove will see the new Hortman Memorial Highway signage after the dedication. The renaming changes only the official name and does not alter the route itself.
The takeaway
Honoring Hortman with a permanent road name keeps her legislative work visible to Minnesotans who travel the corridor she helped complete. The dedication marks a lasting public memorial to a leader lost in 2025.
What happens next
Gov. Tim Walz is scheduled to unveil and dedicate the Hortman Memorial Highway at a Thursday morning ceremony beginning at 9 a.m.
Further reading
For more on state lawmaking and government decisions, see City Hall.
