Interstate 35E is the name used for the eastern half of Interstate 35 in two segments where the highway 'splits' to serve different cities. I-35 is a long north-south interstate highway having termini in Laredo, Texas and Duluth, Minnesota, is the only existing interstate to be divided in this manner. The divisions occur in Minnesota and Texas, each of which have "twin cities" along the highway.

Interstate 35E in Minnesota

Interstate 35 splits in eastern Minnesota at Forest Lake to the north and Burnsville to the south. Interstate 35E serves the state capital of St. Paul, while I-35W runs through the state's largest city, Minneapolis. Unlike its western 'twin', it seems not to have supplanted any earlier highways.

It is 41 miles in length, approximately two miles longer than I-35W. Mileposts and exits along the highway are numbered contiguously with the rest of Interstate 35 in the state, while the numbering starts at exit 1 in Forest Lake on I-35W.

Interstate 35E in Texas

Interstate 35 splits in northern Texas at Denton to the north and Hillsboro, Texas to the south. The more easterly Interstate 35E passes through Dallas, while I-35W goes through Fort Worth. It supplants the old U.S. Highway 77 through most of its course. Denton, Dallas, and Waco are control cities on this highway. It is a less direct route than I-35W for destinations like Waco and points south, and places north of Denton on I-35. Additionally, because it passes through the much larger Dallas, Texas, I-35E has very heavy traffic.

North of downtown Dallas it is the Stemmons Freeway , a prime example of a highway with frontage roads on each side to promote commercial development along the highway. South of downtown Dallas it is the R.L. Thornton Freeway .

Interstate 35E is nearly 97 miles in length, almost 12 miles longer than its western counterpart. Like in Minnesota, mileposts on I-35E are contiguous with those on I-35.