$900 million in road work will bring drivers relief

The 2012 road construction season will see the end of one of the metro area's biggest bottlenecks and nearly $1 billion spent on more than 300 projects statewide.

On Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced its plans to revamp bridges and roads, which will find drivers facing blockaded lanes, ramps and sometimes entire roadways.

"It all depends on who you are and where you are going," MnDOT spokesman Kevin Gutknecht said. "[There will be] a pleasant impact when the project is all done, making the roads smoother and safer."

Gutknecht said 2012's $918.7 million program is similar in size and scope to last year's construction, and less than the record $1.3 billion spent in 2010.

November should mark the end of the $125 million reconstruction of the Hwy. 169/Interstate 494 interchange that has been re-routing drivers in Eden Prairie, Bloomington and Edina for two years.

Drivers on I-694 might get a break from traffic after construction on a major part of the roadway near Lexington Avenue is finished this summer, but it won't be for long. A fence will be installed on the interstate from Hamline Avenue in Arden Hills to Victoria Street in Shoreview. The ramp from the I-694 to Hamline Avenue will close permanently on Monday. Renovation on the interchange and bridges on Hwys. 10 and 51 won't wrap up until November 2013.

This year's 316 projects include construction on I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul and a new Maryland Avenue bridge over I-35E in St. Paul. The new bridge will be built offsite, then lifted in place by a huge machine, reducing the time the route will be closed from around five months to about 60 days, Gutknecht said.

"[MnDOT] is interested in using techniques that provide less traffic disruption and get the work done," he said.

Other projects will improve safety at railroad crossings, repair seawalls and docks and upgrade runways and terminals at regional airports. In Duluth, bridge and pavement replacement will be finished this year on I-35.

"MnDOT is focused on improving our highways and maximizing the capacity of the system," Commissioner Tom Sorel of the Minnesota Department of Transportation said. Sorel pointed out that the projects "will also aid the state's economy by supporting thousands of jobs this year."

Gutknecht said a milder-than-normal winter with less snow than usual has meant "some of the projects have probably gotten started a little bit early because ... the crews can get into the earth and do what they need to do."

As roads fill up with workers, equipment and traffic cones, drivers should take care, he said.

"[Motorists] are going to be encountering work zones," Gutknecht said. "They need to pay attention and drive safely."

For a complete project list, visit www.dot.state.mn.us/construction.

Star Tribune staff writers Shari Gross and Paul Walsh contributed to this report. Kaitlyn Walsh is a University of Minnesota journalism student on assignment for the Star Tribune.