Area road projects in full swing

Work on Interstate 35 south of Duluth resumed this week

Motorists traveling on Interstate 35 south of Duluth will experience lane restrictions beginning Wednesday, May 9, as work resumes on two concrete resurfacing projects.

As of May 9, I-35 traffic was restricted to a single lane in each direction from mile marker 211 to mile marker 221 between Moose Lake and Barnum.

Starting Friday, May 11, northbound I-35 will be restricted to a single lane from mile marker 190 to mile marker 202 between Sandstone and Willow River.

Both projects will be completed later this year.

New signs on Interstate 35 provide travel time information

Seven new digital signs have been installed along the Interstate 35 corridor between Hinckley and Duluth. The signs display estimated travel times between several locations.

The signs display real-time travel information that also is simultaneously available online at http://www.trafalert.net/taduluthth35/tamap.htm.

The signs will be used until the end of the 2012 construction season.

“The purpose of this project is to inform the traveling public of the travel times through three major reconstruction projects on I-35 this summer,” said Dave Mavec, project engineer. “The intent is to reduce driver frustration by displaying the actual driving time it takes to drive through the corridor. Highway 23 travel times are displayed to encourage Highway 23 as an alternate route”.

The system is called TrafAlert. It was developed and is operated by Renaissance Technologies in Mechanicsburg, Penn.

For information about MnDOT’s construction projects on I-35, click on http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d1/projects/i35southofduluth/

Highway 210 lane restrictions begin between Cromwell and Wright

Highway 210 between Cromwell and Wright will be restricted to a single lane in each direction from Thursday, May 10, to about Thursday, May 24. Motorists may also encounter intermittent full-closures lasting no longer than 15 minutes and intermittent flagging operations.

Crews will install culvert linings, turn lanes and bypass lanes.

Crews also will resurface Highway 210 from Interstate 35 to Highway 65 in McGregor. The entire project is scheduled to be complete in August 2012.

When completed, Highway 210 will be smoother and safer for motorists.

Bridge projects at Highway 53, Highway 33 under way

A project to build a new bridge over Highway 53 at Highway 33 and repair the northbound Highway 53 bridge over the Cloquet River in Independence began Tuesday, May 8.

The following lane restrictions are scheduled:

May 8-10 – Motorists will encounter daytime single-lane closures while bypasses are constructed.

May 14-15 – The Highway 33 bridge will close and motorists will encounter a short detour. Motorists on southbound Highway 53 will be detoured onto southbound Highway 33 then County Road 7 from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.

May 16 – The northbound lanes of Highway 53 will close. Traffic will be restricted to single-lane in each direction on the southbound lanes.

The projects are scheduled for completion in August 2012.

Northbound I-535 lanes at Blatnik Bridge in Duluth to close May 14

The northbound lanes of Interstate 535 at the Blatnik Bridge will close Monday, May 14, until mid-summer. The Highway 2 Bong Bridge may be used as an alternate northbound river crossing.

The I-535 southbound lanes will remain open; however, motorists may encounter brief, single-lane closures.

The lane closures are necessary as work begins on a two-year preservation project designed to extend the life of the bridge.

Motorists are asked to drive with caution and at posted speeds as crews work in the narrow confines of the closed lanes.

For more information on the project, visit www.dot.state.mn.us/d1/projects/blatnikbridge/.

For updated travel information on all Minnesota roads, call 511 or click on www.511mn.org.

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