Minnesota Notes

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Duluth will start a project rehabbing the Lift Bridge in winter 2026-27. It will take four years to complete the entire project because work is mostly restricted to the short 3-month shipping offseasons during late winter.

https://www.wdio.com/front-page/top-stories/23m-secured-for-lift-bridge-rehab/

[Molandfreak]

Apparently the DNR has officially designated portions of the Minnesota River State Trail in Ortonville, Appleton, Milan, and Montevideo. All of these sections previously existed as local trails, and I was wondering why they didn't officially designate them. I have seen news that the upcoming improvements of TH 22 will result in a segment of the trail there, so perhaps they figured they might as well lump these other trails into the promotion. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_trails/minnesota-river/index.html

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The Blatnik replacement money has finally officially been released by USDOT and the project is a go for late this year. If you don't clinch I-535 this year (or are missing that piece of US 53), you won't be able to get it for a long time.

https://www.northernnewsnow.com/2026/03/18/105b-approved-replace-blatnik-bridge-connecting-duluth-superior/

[mgk920]

The Blatnik replacement money has finally officially been released by USDOT and the project is a go for late this year. If you don't clinch I-535 this year (or are missing that piece of US 53), you won't be able to get it for a long time.

https://www.northernnewsnow.com/2026/03/18/105b-approved-replace-blatnik-bridge-connecting-duluth-superior/

If I'm not mistaken, the delay was not due to any partisan issues, but to WisDOT and the City of Superior working on a solution to the approach roadways on their end of the bridge.  IMHO, the solution that they agreed on is very elegant.

Mike

[Rothman]

The Blatnik replacement money has finally officially been released by USDOT and the project is a go for late this year. If you don't clinch I-535 this year (or are missing that piece of US 53), you won't be able to get it for a long time.

https://www.northernnewsnow.com/2026/03/18/105b-approved-replace-blatnik-bridge-connecting-duluth-superior/

If I'm not mistaken, the delay was not due to any partisan issues, but to WisDOT and the City of Superior working on a solution to the approach roadways on their end of the bridge.  IMHO, the solution that they agreed on is very elegant.

Mike

Perhaps a combination of both, although the grant agreement's delay is interesting.  Although I understand the additional agreement is legally needed to ensure compliance with whatever grant requirements, I can't help but see them as mostly time-consuming red tape and some grant requirements only existing to create billable hours for consultants (e.g., certain reporting requirements).

(personal opinion emphasized)

[Molandfreak]

I was told by a MnDOT official today that divided highways are officially interpreted as double-counting towards the statewide highway system limit. If true, this could explain the relative lack of enthusiasm on their part to do four-laning projects until many years after a corridor reaches the 11,000 VPD threshold.

[Great Lakes Roads]

Taxpayers to foot the bill for loss in toll revenue during I-394 construction

[Rothman]

Reminds me of this:

[Plutonic Panda]

Reminds me of this:

One billion, billion dollars.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I'm having trouble figuring out where the line between the obvious attempt at rage bait and any legitimately questionable condust is on this.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

This is more for the Travelmapping crowd, since I don't post on that board:

The I-35W exit numbers around I-494 have been recalibrated. The I-494 interchange is now Exits 8B (westbound) and 8C (eastbound) rather than the previous 9A-B. I assume that also means the following but will need to return to verify:

82nd St is now 8A (formerly plain 8)
76th St is now plain 9 (formerly 9C)

[The Ghostbuster]

Why the changes in the exit numbers?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

MnDOT announces this year's project schedule. https://www.dot.state.mn.us/construction/

New/new-ish:
-TH 5 4-lane extension in Victoria and Chanhassen west of TH 41
-US 12 reconstruction in Minnetonka and Wayzata west of 394/494
-TH 13 new interchange at Nicollet Ave in Burnsville
-US 14 new interchange at Olmsted CSAH 44, and new overpass on 7th St NW in Rochester
-I-35/TH 61 roundabout construction in Duluth - replace I-35's northern end with a roundabout at 61/London and 26th Ave East, plus another roundabout on London Road/TH 61 at 40th Ave E
-TH 65 new interchanges in Blaine at 99th, 105th, 109th, and 117th Aves
-TH 77 resurfacing and bridge repaair between 494 and 35E (these don't completely overlap in geographic stope)
-Replacement of John Ireland Blvd bridge over I-94 and I-35E in St. Paul
-I-94/TH 24 interchange reconstruction in Clearwater
-I-94/TH 210 bridge replacements in Fergus
-TH 95 reconstruction in the Cambridge area
-US 169 new interchange at TH 282 in Jordan
-US 169/TH 27 roundabout at the north split on the south side of Lake Mille Lacs
-TH 210 reconstruction in Brainerd
-US 212 4-lane gap filling between Cologne and Norwood Young America
-TH 243 St. Croix Bridge replacement
-TH 280 reconstruction in Lauderdale/Falcon Heights
-I-535 Blatnik Bridge replacement between Duluth and Superior
-Belgrade Ave bridge replacement over the Minnesota River in Mankato

Ongoing:
-US 10 4-lane gap filling in Wadena
-US 10/75 grade separations in Moorhead
-TH 22 reconstruction from Mankato to St. Peter
-I-90/US 52 interchange replacement near Rochester, including SB-EB flyover
-I-90 bridge replacements in Austin
-TH 93 reconstruction and road raising between Henderson and Le Sueur
-I-35W reconstruction and interchange replacements in Burnsville
-I-394 repair and improvements between Louisiana Ave and I-94, including slight realignment at Dunwoody exit in Minneapolis
-I-494 reconstruction in Bloomington, with the focus shifting more now to east of I-35W to TH 77 - includes permanent closure of Nicollet Avenue interchange

[Molandfreak]

-TH 13 new interchange at Nicollet Ave in Burnsville

I had no idea any improvements east of 35W were under consideration. Maybe we'll eventually see a TH 13 freeway from US 169 to TH 77.

[Mdcastle]

I've been hearing chatter about 13 and Nicollet for probably 20 years but nothing east of there. Traffic drops off and Burnsville seems more concerned about pedestrians having to cross 7 lanes of traffic on 13 between the downtown and the transit station than traffic operations on 13.

[froggie]

Unless things have changed since the Environmental Assessment was released, it would be better to describe what's happening at 13/Nicollet as a grade-separation rather than an actual interchange.  The plan was to bridge Nicollet over 13, but there would be a quadrant road connecting the two.  So there would still be an at-grade on 13...albeit with a good bit less traffic than the existing intersection.

-----------------

One other project of note beginning this year:  a new interchange at 36 and CSAH 17/Lake Elmo Ave, which will remove the last remaining traffic signal on 36 between 694 and Stillwater.

[Mdcastle]

... Things have changed.

https://youtu.be/Dk_4wHGJRsU?si=NGHQBj5qFnCWR7im&t=698

[froggie]

It would be nice if they posted some updated preliminary layouts and info on the project website besides just a Youtube video.

[Mdcastle]

I remember the good old days when they posted all kinds of stuff on the internet, even the minutes of the traffic signal and lighting comittees. But I guess the Tik Tok generation doesn't have any interest in looking at pdf layouts as opposed to watching videos.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I hope one provision of this TH 210 work in Brainerd will be removing the  "ramp" from northbound TH 25 to westbound TH 210 that was closed and left to rot in place after all NB 25 traffic was rerouted to the stoplight where 25 ends.

[Molandfreak]

I hope one provision of this TH 210 work in Brainerd will be removing the  "ramp" from northbound TH 25 to westbound TH 210 that was closed and left to rot in place after all NB 25 traffic was rerouted to the stoplight where 25 ends.

They should really just redo the entire thing like they did with the similar corner cutting ramp at US 212 and TH 5/25 in Norwood Young America. Smooth out the curve, have all movements directly at the traffic light, and dismantle the rest to be overtaken by the surrounding marsh. The corner cutting ramp there saves all of 5 seconds, and there is already a second right turn ramp with no apparent purpose closer to the light.

[Molandfreak]

More construction in the Brainerd Lakes area: a roundabout at the western junction of US 169 and TH 18 in Garrison.

https://www.dot.state.mn.us/d3/projects/garrison/index.html

[TheHighwayMan3561]

More construction in the Brainerd Lakes area: a roundabout at the western junction of US 169 and TH 18 in Garrison.

https://www.dot.state.mn.us/d3/projects/garrison/index.html

Oh no, not the Y!

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Side note, I wonder if at some point in the past they ever evaluated realigning TH 18 to cut between the lakes on the north side of Garrison rather than making that 75-degree dive down to Garrison just to end up going back northeast with 169 to the same plane TH 18 was on.

[Molandfreak]

Side note, I wonder if at some point in the past they ever evaluated realigning TH 18 to cut between the lakes on the north side of Garrison rather than making that 75-degree dive down to Garrison just to end up going back northeast with 169 to the same plane TH 18 was on.

The thing is that TH 18 is ostensibly three separate highways handling local traffic, with an exception close to the Y which is mostly traffic headed to TH 6. The Y was actually needed because far more traffic comes from the south than from the east on TH 18's independent segment over Mille Lacs. They could build it, but it would see very minuscule amounts of traffic since there are no real population centers to feed into it. Malmo to Brainerd traffic?