Start Date Announced for Closure of 2nd St. Southwest in Downtown Rochester

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A major construction project is underway on one of Rochester’s busiest streets. 

See Also: Busy Mayo Clinic Entrance at Downtown Rochester Campus is Now Closed 

It’s the latest roadway to be impacted by Mayo Clinic’s $5 billion expansion in downtown Rochester. 

Demolition work and underground utility projects to pave the way for a massive new clinical care building and other structures has been going on for the past several months. 

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Lane Closures for Mayo Clinic Expansion Utilities Underway on 2nd St. in Rochester, MN

Work has begun on the latest utility project to accommodate Mayo Clinic's expansion on 2nd St. Southwest. 

The four-lane street through downtown Rochester has been reduced to a single lane in each direction between Civic Center Dr. Southeast and 2nd Ave. Southwest. 

Mayo Clinic’s construction website says the utility work will progress east-to-west, ending at 5th Ave. Southwest, throughout the coming months. The lane closures are anticipated to end by July. 

Closure Date Announced for 2nd St. Southwest in Downtown Rochester, MN

Along with utility work, construction crews will soon begin a project that will connect Mayo Clinic’s new clinical building with a future Rochester Public Transit Station that will also have access to the Link Bus Rapid Transit system. 

Starting May 13, 2nd St. Southwest will be closed in both directions from 4th Ave. to 6th Ave. Southwest to accommodate construction of a pedestrian tunnel underneath the busy street. 

Mayo’s construction website indicates the road will not reopen until sometime during the first three months of 2026. 

It’s one of two tunnels planned to go underneath 2nd St. Southwest. Another tunnel to link St. Mary’s Hospital with the bus line is slated to be dug at 14th St. Southwest. 

A start date for that work has not yet been announced. The Link Bus Rapid Transit line is set to be completed by the Fall of 2026.