The Minnesota Department of Transportation urges motorists to use extra caution while driving through highway work zones this Memorial Day weekend.

Plan ahead, think about alternate routes or go to www.511mn.org to get advance information about road construction and detours.

Highway projects in southeastern Minnesota that might affect weekend travel on May 24-26 include the following:

• Interstate 35 through Owatonna, which is undergoing construction and can experience slowdowns and delays through the corridor.

• Interstate 90 in Winona County, where an 8-mile pavement project directs vehicles into single lane traffic each way from between Highway 76 and exit 266 at Nodine.

• I-90 at the Dresbach Bridge in Winona County

Highway 63 from Stewartville south to Highway 16. Traffic is diverted onto a detour

• Highway 52 north of Zumbrota near Goodhue County Road 9, where an interchange is being constructed.

Memorial Day weekend is traditionally one of the deadliest on Minnesota roads during the spring and summer months. Safe driving during the long weekend ranks as a paramount concern for the departments of Transportation and Public Safety and law enforcement agencies statewide.

MnDOT reminds motorists to follow these guidelines when entering and driving through work zones:

• Stay alert, especially at night.

• Obey posted speed limits. Fines may double for violations in work zones.

• Expect work zones to change. Day to day, you could experience lane shifts, closures or moving workers and vehicles.

• Never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.

• Don’t make unnecessary lane changes.

• Stay off cellphones and mobile devices.

• Be patient. Expect delays, especially during peak travel times.

• Move over one lane, if possible, or reduce speed for stopped emergency or maintenance vehicles, including ambulance, fire, law enforcement or maintenance and construction vehicles.