ROAD/BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION: Minnesota to execute $1.1 billion in road and bridge improvements this summer

The state of Minnesota has a lot more that could be done, but is satisfied with holding what has been the status quo over the last few years in terms of road and bridge construction.

Mn/DOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle announced on March 27 that his agency would oversee $1.1 billion worth of transportation projects during the 2013 construction season. Zelle said the list size matches that of prior years.

“There’s a lot more we would like to do,” he said. “There’s more good ideas than there were available resources,” including a project that would add a lane in each direction on I-94 between the western suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Cloud.

Eighty-seven projects are slated for the Twin Cities area, with another 193 in the greater Minnesota region. However, an uptick in construction means more congestion, and a few of the more clogged construction areas this season will be:

• On I-94 between St. Cloud and Clearwater. Crews will resurface 7.5 miles of interstate, reducing traffic to one lane in each direction;
• On Highway 36 in Maplewood near the Highway 61 interchange. There will be a 75-day full closure;
• In Minneapolis, where two I-94 bridges (Park Ave. and Portland Ave.) will be replaced, and in St. Paul, where Lafayette Bridge on Highway 52 will be replaced; and
• On I-35 from Esko to Proctor in northern Minnesota.