With our recent cold weather and now another round of snow, MnDOT has officially put the wraps on the 2018 road construction season.

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Instead of graders, front-end loaders and shovels, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has officially shifted into winter mode with its team of snow plows and road maintenance equipment already out on Minnesota's highways, keeping them clear of ice and snow.

And as it wraps up the construction season, MnDOT has looked back at this past year-- and what it accomplished. Road construction in Minnesota is big business-- MnDOT says it spent $1.1 billion (yes, that's with a 'b') on projects across the state.

And while there's ALWAYS a lot of money spent in the Twin Cities metro area on road construction, just what those of us here in southeast Minnesota get for $1.1 billion?

Well, here's just a partial list:

  • Highway 14 and I-35 bridges near Owatonna – Replaced 12 bridges south of Owatonna in two years. Highway 14 westbound lanes are open to traffic and traffic should return to regular lanes on I-35 in early November.
  • I-35 southbound, Faribault – Repaved four miles of southbound I-35, repaved the Highway 21 exit ramp and extended the deceleration from I-35 southbound to Highway 21.
  • Highway 52 – Completed two paving projects from south of Preston to north of Harmony, and from Highway 63 in Rochester to I-90. The Rochester portion also included installing cable median barrier.
  • Highway 63 – Completed two paving projects, from Rochester to Zumbro Falls and from Zumbro Falls to south of Lake City. Both projects included culvert replacement work that required detours.

You can check out all on MnDOT's 2018 projects HERE. And, for a list of studies and plans on possible future MnDOT projects, click HERE.

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