A new construction project that gets underway in a matter of minutes will affect commuters in the southwest metro for the next eight weeks.
Carver County officials say both directions of County Road 61 will close east of Great Plains Blvd. at Bluff Creek starting at 6 a.m. as the Southwest Reconnection Project gets started.
Motorists traveling west on County 61 will not have access to the Hwy. 101 bridge into Shakopee. The bridge itself will be open to traffic between Shakopee and Eden Prairie.
The project includes rebuilding the unwieldy intersection of Hwy. 101 and County 61 by installing a roundabout, building a new bridge north of the Minnesota River to bring it over the 100-year flood level and minimize disruptions during seasonal flooding.
Motorists can expect some alternating lane closures and flagging operations on Hwy. 101 and County 61 approaching the work zone.
The cost of the work is $54 million.
