A construction worker doing bridge work was injured Monday night after being hit by a semitrailer truck on Interstate 494 in Maple Grove.

The man, identified by the State Patrol as Brian Fasching, of Plymouth, was working underneath the East Fish Lake Road overpass when the southbound truck hit the boom lift he was in at 11:55 p.m., said Captain Keith Terlinden of the Maple Grove Police Department.

Fasching, an employee of C.S. McCrossan, hurt his left forearm and was taken to a hospital for treatment, said Dave Aeikens, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

"It's good news that his injuries were not more serious," Aeikens said. He was wearing a harness and other safety equipment at the time of the crash "and that prevented further injury."

The truck driver, Brian Pearson, 46, of Moorhead, Minn., was not hurt. The State Patrol was investigating the crash.

While speed was not a contributing factor in Monday's crash, Aeikens said, it has been an issue along I-494, which has been under construction for the past two years. The speed limit in the work zone between the I-694/494/94 interchange in Maple Grove and Hwy. 55 in Plymouth is 50 miles per hour, and often drivers are going well over that, he said

Under Minnesota law, a driver caught speeding in a construction area with workers present will face a ticket of at least $300, with the cost increasing depending on the driver's speed.

"This is a reminder that in a work zone people need to be alert and driving the appropriate speed," Aeikens said. "They need to be patient and expect delays. Work zones change constantly, with lane shifts and lane closures changing daily."

Over the past three years, there have been 5, 084 crashes in work zones statewide which have led to 35 serious injuries and 26 deaths. The last construction worker to be killed in a work zone occurred in 2011.

MnDOT is in the final stages of the $86 million project included adding a third general purpose lane on I-494, widening bridges, ramp maintenance and installing noise walls. The project is expected to be completed by mid-November.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768