ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on April 10, 2023
As fall disappears into the rearview mirror so does the 2023 road construction season, and more than 200 projects that were either completed or advanced to make driving in Minnesota safer and more comfortable.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) on Monday announced that work on highways and interstates would be winding up by the end of November, saying that crews worked on 227 road and bridge projects during this calendar year.
Here is an abbreviated list of some of the most impactful work done in 2023.
Twin Cities
- Third Avenue Bridge – Minneapolis – Crews completed a three-year project that extended the life of the 105-year-old historic bridge in downtown Minneapolis by repairing expansion joints, concrete and bridge foundations, refurbishing an ornamental rail, updated lighting and building a protected bikeway to improve safety.
- Highway 55/Hiawatha Avenue – Minneapolis – Resurfaced between Interstate 35W and Highway 62, repaired bridges, improved drainage and improved accessibility and safety at intersections.
- Highway 169 Interchange – New Hope, Plymouth – Replaced bridge and reconstructed interchange at Highway 169 and County Road 9 (Rockford Road/42nd Avenue) to improve safety, accessibility, improve traffic flow and decrease driving delays.
- Kicked off multi-year projects to improve I-494 in Bloomington and I-94 between Oakdale and the Wisconsin border.
Northern Minnesota
- Highway 61 – Stewart River and Silver Creek – Replaced box culvert with a new bridge, added bike/pedestrian crossing that connects to Gitchi Gami bike trail and completed stream restoration at Silver Creek. Rehabilitated the historic bridge to carry northbound traffic, built a second bridge for southbound traffic, and constructed new turn lanes at Stewart River.
- Highway 1/169 – Tower – Resurfaced almost seven miles of Highway 1 and Highway 169 south of Tower.
- Highway 75/171 – north of Hallock – Resurfaced Highway 75 from Hallock to Canadian border and Highway 171 from Highway 75 to North Dakota border, replaced culverts, to provide a smoother driving surface and improved drainage.
- Highway 197 – Bemidji – Resurfaced between Bemidji Avenue and Hannah Avenue to extend pavement life before a permanent project is planned in about 10 years. This project was completed at night using lane closures.
Central Minnesota
- Highway 10/23 – St. Cloud – Completed the first of a two-year project to reconstruct the Highway 10/Highway 23 interchange in east St. Cloud. Crews reconstructed the westbound Highway 23 road surface, bridge and adjacent entrances between 25th Avenue SE and Wilson Avenue SE; reconstructed the eastbound Highway 10 road surface and adjacent entrances between Benton Drive SE and 15th Avenue SE; and began work on the future Fourth Street bridge.
- Highway 169 – Elk River – Completed second year of a multi-year project to convert three miles of Highway 169 through Elk River to a freeway. Crews constructed two new interchanges at School Street and Jackson Avenue/193rd Avenue, including freeway lanes, adjacent city roads and sidewalks, utilities and underground infrastructure.
- I-94 – Alexandria – Crews resurfaced westbound I-94, west of Alexandria near Highway 114 and constructed roundabouts at the I-94 and Highway 27 interchange near Alexandria.
- Highway 34 – between Detroit Lakes and Osage – Resurfaced 21-miles and replaced box culvert/bridge over the Shell River.
Southeastern Minnesota
- Highway 52 – Zumbrota to Cannon Falls – Completed final year of a three-year project. Crews reconstructed 12.5 miles of southbound Highway 52, built a new interchange at Highway 52 and Highway 57/Goodhue County Road 8, and replaced three bridges at interchanges and one over a river, built a noise wall and installed permanent snow fence.
- Highway 61 – Lake City to Red Wing – Resurfaced 10 miles of highway, while adding two passing lanes and nine turn lanes.
- Interstate 35 – Faribault – Completed first year of two-year project. Resurfaced portions of I-35 and repaired two ramps. Work next year includes resurfacing northbound and southbound lanes and reconstructing three I-35 ramps.
Southwestern Minnesota
- Highway 14 – New Ulm to Nicollet – Crews will soon complete the second year of a two-year project that will convert the two-lane highway to a four-lane divided highway, creating a continuous four-lane road between New Ulm and Rochester. Crews also constructed new interchanges near Courtland and at County Road 37 in New Ulm, added turn lanes and installed snow fence.
- Highway 23 – New London to Paynesville – Completed the first year of a two-year Corridors of Commerce project to expand Highway 23 to four lanes.
- Highway 212 – Renville to Granite Falls – Resurfaced Highway 212 with concrete from Renville to Granite Falls and reconstructed Highway 212 through Sacred Heart; updated sidewalks, pedestrian ramps and adjacent driveways; added a westbound passing lane near Granite Falls.
“This year’s construction season resulted in safer roads, bridges, intersections and improved accessibility for people who use active transportation to walk, bike or roll to local destinations throughout the state,” said MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger. “In addition to resurfacing roads and improving or replacing bridges, crews installed proven safety infrastructure around the state – including nearly 42 miles of center cable median barrier, and more than 30 J-turn intersections or roundabouts. We thank Minnesota travelers for their patience throughout this construction activity, and for slowing down and staying attentive in work zones to keep our workers safe.”
For a complete list of current and future MnDOT construction projects, including plans and studies, check out the MnDOT website.
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