It won't be long before road construction associated with new St. Croix Crossing ramps up. To that end, officials from both the Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of Transportation and contractors will talk about this summer's work along Hwys. 95 and 36 through Stillwater, Oak Park Heights and Bayport.

Officials from Washington County and Oak Park Heights also will talk about local road projects that are on the docket. Open houses are from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Oak Park Heights City Hall, 14168 N. Oak Park Blvd.

MnDOT says both Hwy. 95 and Hwy. 36 will remain open all summer and access to local businesses will be maintained. However, Hwy. 36 will be a single lane in both directions between Washington/Norell Avenue and Hwy. 95 for the entire summer construction season. An official start date for this summer has not been set.

Here is a list of some of the work that will be done this spring and summer on the Minnesota side of the new bridge and traffic impacts:

  • Reconstruct westbound lanes of Hwy 36 –Single lane traffic in each direction on existing eastbound lanes from east of Washington Ave./Norell Ave. to Hwy 95.
  • Reconstruct the N. Frontage Road, between Northwestern Ave. and Osgood Ave. – Traffic on gravel condition; access to businesses may change depending on the location of construction.
  • Reconstruct S. Frontage Road, between Osgood Ave. and Club Tara – Traffic on gravel condition; access to businesses may change depending on the location of construction.
  • Reconstruct Greeley St. S., between Shelton Dr. and Hwy 36 – Traffic shifts will occur depending on the location of construction.
  • Reconstruct Osgood Ave. just north of Hwy 36– Traffic shifts will occur depending on the location of construction.
  • Reconstruct Hwy 95 north of Hwy 36 – Traffic shifts will occur depending on the location of construction.
  • 6-day closure of both the Osgood Ave. and Greeley St. intersections between Hwy 36 and the N. Frontage Road – Both intersections will never be closed at the same time. Northbound and southbound traffic will not have access to/from Hwy 36; however, eastbound and westbound traffic–on Hwy 36 and the N. Frontage Road–will flow normally.

For more information about the St. Croix Crossing, set to open in 2016, see the project page by clicking here.