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As the saying goes, we have two seasons here in Minnesota — winter and road construction. Many of us are feeling that more intensely this year in the Twin Cities area as the Minnesota Department of Transportation takes on critical improvements to our roadways.
While this summer’s road construction season is similar to previous years in number of projects statewide, we are able to include a few extra road and bridge projects in the metro area this year and next thanks to additional state dollars and Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding. Impacts from road construction vary depending on the project work, location and the amount of traffic in that area. When we have to close down interstate lanes, especially in high-traffic areas like the Twin Cities, people notice.
When we fix roads, we know it has a significant impact on your daily life, and we never take that lightly. We don’t ever lose sight of the fact that time stuck in traffic can be time away from friends and family, the difference in making a kid’s T-ball game or an important medical appointment on time. It’s our goal to get you where you need to go quickly, efficiently and safely — which is most important.
We begin planning projects years in advance of construction, and we balance a variety of competing needs. Those needs include impacts to communities, availability of funding, traffic volumes, contractor and subcontractor availability, and workers’ physical and mental health. We also coordinate with other Minnesota cities, counties, townships and tribal governments that are also leading critical roadway projects.
MnDOT staff members work hard to minimize the impact to travelers. This season in the Twin Cities, we delayed the start of work on Interstate Hwy. 394 to minimize the overlap as much as we could between that work and our project to repair bridges along I-94 near the Mississippi River. We will reopen lanes of traffic on the I-94 project in time for the Minnesota State Fair.
One question I’ve received recently is: Why doesn’t MnDOT work 24/7 on roads and projects? We do! MnDOT maintenance crews work overnight all year long to help address emergencies, repairs or other issues when needed to keep Minnesota highways safe. And some work has to be done overnight, like bridge demolition or setting new bridge beams. But we also hear from neighbors near our construction projects about how noise and bright lights needed for overnight work can affect them, and we take that into consideration. Additionally, even with additional lighting, working in the dark can be less safe for our construction workers and it can also significantly increase the cost of a project.
