Massive Hwy-52 Road Construction Project Now Underway in Minnesota
We all know that Minnesota really only has two real seasons, and with our wimpy winter already passed, guess which season it is now?
If you said road construction, congratulations, you're right! And while it was just a few days ago that the Minnesota Department of Transportations (MnDOT) unveiled over 200 new construction projects it'll be undertaking this season across the state, one of them is already underway on a busy stretch of Highway 52 just south of the Twin Cities.
In a release last week, MnDOT says the 2024 construction season includes 193 planned road and bridge projects, plus 54 projects that will improve airports, water ports, railroad crossings and transit infrastructure across Minnesota.
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"Drivers throughout Minnesota can expect to see more work zones, more orange cones, more closed lanes, and more people working along the road wearing their high-visibility gear," MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger said in the release.
And crews were already hard at work over the weekend diverting traffic onto single lanes along Highway 52 so they can work on what MnDOT calls the Hampton Project. This project will rebuild both the north and southbound lanes of Highway 52 for around 6 miles from County Road 86 just north of Cannon Falls to Highway 50 in Hampton, south of the Twin Cities.
The goal of this project, MnDOT said, is to improve the ride and restore the pavement structure of this segment to bring the road back to the 'good' category. Specifically, the project will involve:
- Replace concrete surface
- Update guardrail
- Replace signs
- Repair drainage
Here's the lowdown on what to expect:
Sat, April 6th through late August 2024
- Hwy 52 is reduced to one lane in both directions between Hwy 50 in Hampton and Co. Rd. 86 north of Cannon Falls
- Travel will occur on the southbound lanes with head-to-head traffic through June. Then traffic will shift to travel on the northbound lanes with head-to-head traffic through late August.
- Side streets and driveways will be only accessible using a right-in and right-out
