Drivers in Freeborn County will get some relief from rocky roads and fractured freeways, but they’ll have to endure a long summer of road construction to get it.

Friday, April 06, 2001

Drivers in Freeborn County will get some relief from rocky roads and fractured freeways, but they’ll have to endure a long summer of road construction to get it.

But one major project that had been planned for this summer, the replacement of the viaduct bridge on West Main in Albert Lea, will be delayed a year, according to Freeborn County Highway Engineer Sue Miller.

That still leaves five large projects in the county. Construction on I-90, I-35 in Freeborn County and Albert Lea’s East Main Street is planned from May to November. Of $64 million in state highway funds earmarked for southeastern Minnesota, almost $20 million will be spent in Freeborn County, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) announced Thursday.

The largest project is an $11.4 million resurfacing project in the eastbound lanes of I-90 from Highway 13 in Albert Lea east to County Road 46 at Petran. Single-lane traffic in each direction will begin in May and continue until November, MnDOT said.

I-90 exit or entrance ramps with I-35, Highway 13 and County Road 26 will be closed for the duration of the construction, and ramps to North Bridge Street will be closed for 30 days.

The action on Albert Lea’s east side will be extensive. East Main Street from Broadway to I-35 will get a new surface. The work is scheduled to start in late July and continue through late September, and will result in daily lane closures, Mn/DOT said.

The project will cost an estimated $2 million.

The East Main Street bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad, which was replaced last year, will get the final touch this summer – a new surface. The project, running from mid-May to June, will cost $3.1 million and traffic will be detoured onto local streets.

Other projects planned for this summer:

— A $1.6 million project to resurface southbound lanes of I-35 from Highway 251 in Clarks Grove to just north of I-90 in Albert Lea. The construction, from July to October, will result in single-lane traffic on the southbound freeway.

— A $1.87 million project to apply a final surface on Highway 251 from just east of County Road 30, Maple Island, to Highway 218. It will cause daily lane closures from mid-May to mid-June.

&uot;This year’s program represents approximately $24 million more in transportation improvements than last year,&uot; said Nelra Succio, an engineer for Mn/DOT’s Rochester/Owatonna district.

To avoid delays, motorists are encouraged to obtain information about work zones and detours in the following ways: For statewide recorded road condition information, 24 hours a day, call 1(800) 542-0220; the hearing impaired can call 1(800) 657-3994. After May 15, for southeastern Minnesota recorded road construction information, call 1(800) 657-3771 (Rochester area) or 1(800) 723-2745 (Owatonna area). Information is also available online at www.dot.state.mn.us.