The northbound Interstate 35 Bridge Street off-ramp will be closed for five days in Owatonna beginning Monday as construction crews replace a large storm sewer culvert, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The short-term closure is needed for Mathiowetz Construction to construct a large storm sewer culvert under I-35 and the Bridge Street off-ramp at exit 41. The Bridge Street off-ramp at exit 41 will have a long-term closure later this season from mid-September through the end of October when the ramp is reconstructed.

During this short-term closure, northbound traffic seeking to detour at Bridge Street should proceed north to exit 43 (26th Street) to get onto the I-35 southbound lanes. Motorists can then proceed south to the southbound Bridge Street exit, which is open.

Northbound traffic is crossed over into the southbound lanes of I-35 south of Bridge Street. Northbound traffic continues in a single lane, while southbound uses the other lane. Northbound traffic will cross back over to two lanes north of Steele County Road 2.

The $19.1 million project is taking place over two years to replace the concrete I-35 roadways through Owatonna, as well as replace bridges and include additional safety features on the corridor. The project, with prime contractor Mathiowetz Construction, began the second year of construction in April and is expected to be complete in fall 2015.

Because of the traffic volumes on I-35, traffic backups and delays occur during weekend travel periods through this construction workzone, so motorists should adjust their travel plans to account for delays.

MnDOT urges motorists to always be attentive, drive with caution, slow down in work zones and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.

For real-time traffic and travel information in Minnesota, visit www.511mn.org.

For more information about the project, please review MnDOT’s project page at  www.dot.state.mn.us/d6/projects/i35bridge-pavement-replacement/index.html or the project’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/I35Owatonna.

I-35  is a key Minnesota connection for commerce, industry and tourism Learn more about how MnDOT takes care of I-35 and other roads at www.dot.state.mn.us/getconnected.