Hortman Memorial Highway signs honors slain lawmaker, husband in north metro

Quick Read

A state highway now is known as Hortman Memorial Highway. It’s a tribute to the late Rep. Melissa Hortman and husband, Mark, who were assassinated in 2025.

Huddled near a new on-ramp sign on a wind-whipped Thursday morning, the children of Melissa Hortman joined state leaders in dedicating the newest tribute to the slain lawmaker and her husband.

They were there to reflect on the former House speaker’s devotion to the roadway itself and the state at large. They spoke about how Hortman was instrumental to the Highway 610 expansion.

Then they pulled a cover off the sign and applauded as the words appeared: “Hortman Memorial Highway.”

The unveiling follows a vote by lawmakers to designate the highway in the north metro in memory of Melissa and Mark Hortman. The couple was assassinated at their Brooklyn Park home in 2025.

Hortman advocated for the buildout and helped secure financing for the highway that connects Interstate 94, County Road 81 and County Road 130 to U.S. Route 10. House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson said it is a fitting tribute to Hortman.

“Dedicating this highway to Melissa is particularly fitting. It goes right through the heart of her old district, literally connecting the two communities that she represented for 20 plus years, Coon Rapids and Brooklyn Park,” Stephenson said. “But it also is a major piece of her legacy in getting this highway done.”

Stephenson added: “No highway, no building, no tribute that we could possibly come up with could fully encapsulate the amazing legacy that Melissa leaves behind, or the hole that she leaves with all of us. But this is at least one thing that we can do to make sure that her story and Mark’s story are remembered for years and years to come.”

Gov. Tim Walz and Hortman family members, including the couple’s daughter Sophie and son Colin, helped mark the placement signs in Brooklyn Park. Also in attendance was state Sen. John Hoffman, who survived an assassination attempt the same June 2025 night.

Colin Hortman said completing the highway was one of his moms’ top legislative priorities. He remembers his mother using the highway project in her campaign literature and said his parents would likely appreciate the memorial.

“Melissa and Mark weren’t necessarily spotlight people, and so I think they would very much appreciate that we’re out here today and not tucked away in an office, and we’re on their highway remembering them forever,” he said.

Sophie Hortman agreed that it’s a meaningful tribute.

“It means the world to know that other people are missing them,” she said. “It’s every day for us. So to know that her accomplishments will be remembered and our family will be remembered, it’s something that’s very meaningful.”