Road repair projects detailed, including Highway 25 bridge

MONTICELLO — Members of the region’s business community were abuzz during a recent Monticello Chamber of Commerce & Industry lunch on transportation.

The highly anticipated gathering March 19 brought together a range of speakers to discuss upcoming road work in Wright and Sherburne counties that will have a direct impact on area businesses, along with individuals and motorists passing through.

In addition to members of the Chamber, the lunch was attended by city leaders, elected officials, Department of Transportation representatives, highway department heads, members of the Central Mississippi River Regional Planning Partnership (CMRP) and others.

The luncheon saw record-turnout, according to Chamber Executive Director Marcy Anderson, who said about 170 people attended, with the majority coming from businesses in Monticello.

“That’s the largest we’ve ever had,” she said.

The primary concern addressed was Highway 25 bridge repairs at the Mississippi River crossing and other work along the highly trafficked thoroughfare, although the expansion project on Interstate 94 between Monticello and Albertville was also discussed.

Sherburne County Commissioner Raeanne Danielowski opened up the talks, explaining the importance of communication as these major road projects ramp up locally.

“We want to make sure our public is as informed as possible,” she said.

She also sought to explain the amount of planning and preparation that has gone into bringing these projects to fruition.

“I know people say on Facebook ‘Just put a bridge over there,’ but that’s not how it works, unfortunately,” she said.

Highway 25 work

Eric Rustad, an engineer with MnDOT, laid out the scope of work planned this summer into fall for the Highway 25 bridge over the river that connects Wright and Sherburne counties.

“We’re going to mill and reface the bridge,” he said. “It’s going to be more pedestrian-friendly.”

He said the bridge deck will be resurfaced, the concrete repaired and sidewalks widened. Upgrades will also be made to lighting and stormwater drainage.

These much-needed repairs, estimated at $3 million, are sure to create traffic delays as the work takes place from early July through late October, he said.

The four-lane bridge will be reduced to two lanes — one lane of traffic in each direction — throughout the duration, while full closure is expected overnight, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., during some portions of the work.

Those full overnight closures are only anticipated to happen six to nine times during the project, but will be necessary to reduce vibration on the bridge as concrete sets.

Rustad said drivers can expect to see contractors doing preliminary work soon.

“Between April 1 to 15, you’ll probably see some contractors out there,” he said. “After that, you won’t see anything until July 8 through late October.”

Danielowski was sympathetic to concerns over delays at the bridge crossing, saying she remembers a time before heavy congestion there. “I’m going to age myself a bit,” she said. “I’m from the age where I could have got up and made it across that bridge in five minutes or so. Those days are over.”

Wright County Commissioner Darek Vetsch said the crossing is something “we’ve been working tirelessly on for years.”

“We’ve never been so close and so far away with solving this issue,” he said.

“We need a ‘transportation solution’ and I have to call it that — whether a bridge or a spaceship or a tunnel is the solution,” he said, eliciting laughter from the crowd. “Hopefully, we can get everyone to and from Wright and Sherburne counties faster in the years to come.”

Study on Highway 25

That goal is also part of the impetus behind a Highway 25 Area PEL Study that is examining issues on the road in the area between Highway 10 and I-94.

Angie Bersaw of Bolton & Menk, which is conducting the study in conjunction with the two counties, spoke at the Chamber lunch, explaining they’re in the second of three phases.

During the first phase, the existing conditions and needs of the area were analyzed through research and community input.

That included a public survey, which identified top priorities for the area as improved traffic flow, safety and business access.

It found that 50% of motorists do not feel safe when driving in the area.

Now, in the second phase, the project team is analyzing the information that was gathered and developing potential improvements for the area.

“The needs are very obvious to the people in this room, but we have to go through this process,” Bersaw said. “Ultimately, we should come out of this with a clear picture of what we need next and how to get this funded.”

The current push is to solicit comments from the public, she said. “We did a lot of technical analysis, but we also do a lot to check that information with public engagement,” she said. “We want to hear that we’ve got this right.”

To that end, she urged everyone to check out the study online at https://arcg.is/1qaWPz0 and offer their feedback.

The public comment period will be open until April 12, and comments can be sent in by email to chad.hausmann@wright.co.

mn.us, online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/CXF37CC or sent by post to Bolton & Menk, c/o Angie Bersaw, 12224 Nicollet Ave., Burnsville, MN 55337.

“It’s really important to make sure we got it right,” she said.

The third and final phase will utilize all of the gathered input to create a long-term plan to improve the Highway 25 area.

“(This) next phase, which is really exciting, is how to lay out these ideas,” Bersaw said.

Other road work

During the Chamber lunch, Rustad also mentioned future work on Highway 25 that is slated for 2026 and 2027.

This includes the section from Buffalo to Monticello, which will be resurfaced in 2026, with two roundabouts installed, along with a pedestrian trail.

MnDOT is also planning to replace the bridge deck on Highway 25 over I-94 in 2027, having pushed the project back from its initial start of 2026.

More immediate work is planned on I-94 this summer, with MnDOT’s $101 million gap project adding lanes between Monticello and Albertville.

Rustad shared the timeline for that project, explaining work is expected to start this July and wrap up in early summer 2027.

Some of the impacts to Monticello will include the closure of County Road 75 for one weekend during partial bridge removal and at night while concrete beams are set; along with the closure of County Road 18 ramps for up to 45 days, first with the northeast loop in 2025 and then with the southeast loop in 2026.

For more information on MnDOT’s Monticello road repairs, visit www.dot.state.mn.us/d3/projects/monticello and www.dot.state.mn.us/d3/projects/i94gap/index.html.