This report isn't from the road itself but relates to then-pending project bid lettings by MnDOT, plus some commentary. It was posted on October 11, 2004.
Of interest to the Minnesota-types or those who have or will be traveling
through. These are all tentative letting dates...
10/22/04:
- MN 55 bridge replacement, 2 miles east of Watkins (don't recall if Monte has
mentioned this one or not)
11/19/04:
- MN 36 bridge repair, St. Croix River bridge. The infamous "Stillwater Bridge"
will get about $5 million in repairs while the future of a new crossing gets
haggled over...
- I-35 reconstruction, IA line to I-90. This section has been mentioned by a few
posters this summer. The project will reconstruct the southbound lanes in
concrete, with bridge repairs as necessary. In other words, another year of
2-lane 2-way traffic on a good chunk of I-35 next year...
12/17/04:
- US 169 bridge replacement, south of US 2. I believe this is the upcoming "Pokegama
Causeway" replacement.
- MN 120 mill-and-overlay, 4th St in Oakdale to County Road D in Mahtomedi.
Perhaps a precursor to turnback?
- I-35E/I-694 "Unweave the Weave". This major "bonding" project will completely
reconstruct the I-35E/I-694 commons section and the approaches to it. While 35E
and 694 won't be completely seperated, each route will have at least 3 lanes in
each direction through the area, with no lane-changes required to stay on one's
route (unlike the current setup). Additional access ramps will be added to
minimize weaving. MnDOT's preliminary estimate is over $100 million for this
one.
1/28/05:
- US 52, overpass at Dakota CSAH 47 in Hampton. A rather nasty intersection that
has the occasional fatality every now and then. Part of the long-range goal to
convert US 52 to freeway. While this particular project will simply provide an
overpass over US 52, IIRC it will be built to accommodate an eventual
interchange at the location.
- US 52 reconstruction, MN 80 to E JCT MN 16. Will reconstruct US 52 from
Fountain to east of Preston, reduce access points and build turn lanes. Root
River Trail-goers beware...
3/25/05:
- MN 371 widening, US 10 to Morrison CSAH 18. This project will complete the
4-laning of MN 371 from Little Falls to Brainerd. The segment in question will
be on mostly new-alignment east of the railroad spur that serves Fort Ripley and
will be a freeway (CSAH 48 will be the first at-grade north of US 10), with
interchanges at CSAH 46 and MN 115/CSAH 47.
- MN 610 bridges/CSAH 81 realignment. Prep work for the future MN 610 freeway
from US 169 to I-94. CSAH 81 will be realigned northwest of Osseo, and as many
bridges will be built as possible with existing funding to minimize future
delays when MN 610 itself gets built. For the North Carolinans, it's a similar
situation to when US 401 was widened northeast of Raleigh, with the bridges and
intersection work put in then for future I-540.
- MN 62 mill-and-overlay, Portland Ave to 43rd Ave in south Minneapolis. This
one will be a traffic mess.
- MN 13 reconstruction, at Scott CSAH 2. In response to a rash of accidents, and
seemingly at the request of local officials, MnDOT is building a roundabout
here, one of the first in the Twin Cities metro.
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