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I-94 project near cabin country will last 3 years

Travelers should expect narrow lanes, road closures and delays.
Credit: MnDOT

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Those driving to their northwest Minnesota cabin getaway may soon have to plan for a longer drive than expected. 

A construction project on Interstate 94 near Monticello is expected to last until 2021. 

The 39-mile project comes with an expected price tag of $350 million.

MnDOT says the purpose of the project is to reduce congestion, to improve safety and to address planned growth in the area, among other reasons. Four areas will be impacted by construction on I-94, two of them as early as this summer. 

The first things MnDOT plans to do are to widen I-94 at the shoulders and to add temporary lanes. MnDOT says most lane closures will be overnight and during non-rush hour times. There will be some daytime lane closures on westbound I-94 in Maple Grove.

RELATED: Good Samaritans rescue man wandering I-94

The stretch of freeway from Albertville to St. Michael is one of the first to be worked on. Six miles of road between Hwy 241 and Wright Co. Rd. 19 will be affected. 

A few bridges will be reconstructed including the Hwy 241 bridge, and the eastbound and westbound bridges over Wright Co. Rd. 19. Other adjustments include adding lanes, raising concrete barriers and building storm water basins. 

The stretch of I-94 from Monticello to Clearwater is also first up for construction. Fourteen miles of freeway between Hwy 25 and Hwy 24 will be reconstructed. 

This portion of the project will be adding commercial vehicle weigh-in motion sensors into the new pavement. New water retention ponds, noise walls and barriers will also be added. 

Those projects are expected to begin this summer and to end by 2021. 

Other parts of the freeway are expected to be worked on starting next year. 

MnDOT plans to build an interchange at Dayton Parkway, as well as new trails and sidewalks. 

The drive from Maple Grove to Rogers will see 9 miles of concrete resurfacing. Temporary lanes will be built this year in preparation for this project. Lanes and noise walls will eventually be added. 

This part of the project are expected to begin next year and to end by 2021. 

The freeway near Monticello and Maple Grove had severe pavement issues that needed to be addressed, according to Dumont.

Dumont said that construction on the stretch of freeway between St. Michael and Albertville will be paid for by Corridors of Commerce funding. 

For more on the project and up-to-date traffic impacts, check MnDOT's website by clicking here.

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