Spring is here, and summer is just around the corner — and the Minnesota Department of Transportation is taking advantage of a strangely light winter to get an early start on road construction season.
With nearly 200 construction projects scheduled for every corner of the state, motorists will want to prepare for potential delays and detours before hitting the road. Local and state officials are also emphasizing the importance of driving with great care in work zones.
The National Safety Council has declared April Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an anti-distracted driving campaign with a multi-million dollar paid media budget.
Targeted at 18-to-34-year-olds, who comprise most drivers involved in fatal crashes linked to cell phone use, the ad campaign was heavily focused on digital mediums with an eye towards reaching the target audience, including on social media, streaming services and radio.
Work zones are prone to constant change, so drivers should always expect the unexpected when traveling through an area with active road construction, remain patient and give construction workers plenty of space to do their jobs.
Victoria Nill, assistant district engineer for construction for MnDOT’s Mankato-based District 7, encouraged drivers to visit MnDOT’s 511mn.org website or the 511mn app to get the latest construction updates before they go.
District 7 projects
In District 7, which includes Le Sueur, Nicollet and Waseca counties, Nill said that 20 projects totaling a whopping $120 million in investment are on the docket for this year. The most substantial may be the reconstruction work on Highway 93 entering Henderson.
Over the next three years, Highway 93 will be fully reconstructed and raised by 8 feet, helping to alleviate the maintenance and travel challenges caused by flooding of the Minnesota River. Traffic on the road was closed April 15 and will remain so all the way into mid-2026.
In the meantime, traffic into Henderson will be diverted along Highway 169 and Highway 19.
Boasting a formidable price tag north of $30 million, the project will also include a replacement bridge and new overflow bridge over the Rush River.
Though a small community, Henderson hosts a number of community events. While the impact may be highly noticeable, Nill said that Henderson residents have been preparing for some time, with multiple open houses providing information to impacted residents.
“They’re very well aware of this, they understand the inconvenience and the benefit,” she said. “In the end, they'll have a road that’s 8 feet higher and will be more reliable and dependable during the flooding season.”
Another major project will be the construction of a new two-lane roundabout at Augusta Drive and Highway 22 in Mankato. Located on the north end of town, that intersection is one of the first that southbound travelers from St. Peter cross while coming into Mankato.
Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most dangerous intersections in the state, with a crash fatality rate three times the state average. The $2.5 million roundabout, set to be installed this summer, will come with a modest detour impacting a handful of businesses and residents.
The roundabout is just the beginning of a much larger reconstruction project which will mainly take place over 2025 and 2026. This summer, work will also focus on the much larger thoroughfare of Highway 14, with major repairs to the Minnesota River Bridge.
The $2 million bridge project, which includes concrete repair on the bridge deck, won’t result in a full road closure, only more limited shoulder and lane closures for which minor detours will be necessary during the expected project duration from May to July.
District 6 projects
In Rochester-based District 6, which includes Goodhue, Rice and Steele Counties, even more projects are planned. The local construction season officially kicked off near Lonsdale on April 8, as crews began work on a roundabout on the east side of the Highway 19 and I-35 intersection
A partnership between Rice County and MnDOT, the $4.77 million project will replace an unusual, multipronged intersection with a six legged roundabout, with the goal of lowering the intersection’s above average crash rates even as traffic is expected to continue to increase.
Next year, another roundabout is expected to be installed nearby in Lonsdale, at the intersection of Highway 19 and County Road 3. Both projects are intended to encourage motorists to slow down, encourage the safe and orderly flow of traffic and reduce crashes, especially dangerous side crashes.
“If you can adjust your travel time, or just pick a different route that’s also another good way to avoid some of the disruption that comes with road construction, project website sign up for text message or email updates, you can read them at your convenience,
Reconstruction work will also continue along I-35 near Faribault, with 4.6 miles of road set to be reconstructed. Ramp and bridge improvements will also impact Highway 60, Highway 21 and County Road 48 where they connect with I-35.
The new project is designed first and foremost to provide a smoother ride and more long lasting road, but it will also include new lighting and traffic lights. A bridge will get replacement parts to extend its life and ramps will be adjusted to maximize safety.
Work will begin on April 15 and is expected to continue into the fall. Lane and ramp closures will regularly impact traffic throughout the summer, as crews remove and reconstruct the I-35 surface using a technique known as unbonded overlay.
Three traffic signals in Faribault will also be replaced this summer, as they are reaching the end of their life and could use replacement. They are at the intersections of Highway 60 and Western Ave, Highway 60 and 3rd Street NE, and Highway 21 and 7th Street NW.
At each of these intersections, adjustments will also be made to the road to ensure ADA compliance and improve intersection safety, including new turn lanes and pedestrian crossings at the Highway 60 and Western Ave and Highway 21 and 7th Street intersections.
Other projects throughout the region, though further afield, include resurfacing Highway 56 through the heart of West Concord, the installation of a new roundabout in the city of Goodhue, and a pavement resurfacing project along Highway 14 from Dodge Center to Byron.
The Highway 14 project will come with a robust price tag of just under $13 million, and includes not just fresh pavement but also drainage repairs, a new J-Turn at Highway 14 and County Road 9, a high-tension cable median barrier between Dodge Center and Kasson and rehabilitation of Highway 14’s bridges over Highway 57 in Kasson.
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