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Several construction projects have made traveling between the Twin Cities and Rochester on Highway 52 a challenge this summer, and now there's an update on how those projects are progressing.

As we know, there are only two real seasons here in Minnesota: Winter and Road Construction, right? And seeing as the snowy weather is finally out of here, we're smack dab in the middle of peak road construction season right now in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. 

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And one place where there is A LOT of construction right now is on Highway 52. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) says there are two main projects underway right now, both of which have reduced traffic to a single lane in each direction.

Crews pour the concrete deck on the Highway 52 southbound bridge over the Zumbro River north of Zumbrota. (MnDOT)
Crews pour the concrete deck on the Highway 52 southbound bridge over the Zumbro River north of Zumbrota. (MnDOT)
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According to MnDOT, the Zumbrota to Cannon Falls project is currently underway, where 12.5 miles of southbound Highway 52 are being rebuilt. The project also added a new intersection at Hwy 57/Goodhue Co Rd 8 at Hader, and bridge replacements at Hwy 60 (east and west near Zumbrota), the Zumbro River southbound near Goodhue Co Rd 7, as well as a noise wall, snow fence and a park and ride lot at Goodhue 8.

Highwy 52 southbound bridge beam launch over Zumbro River north of Zumbrota earlier this month. (MnDOT)
Highwy 52 southbound bridge beam launch over Zumbro River north of Zumbrota earlier this month. (MnDOT)
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It's a massive three-year project that started back in 2021 and is scheduled to finally be completed in November of this year. Crews right now are working to complete bridge and culvert replacements on the southbound lanes. They're also preparing for a permanent snow fence and continue to work to get the roadbed prepared for eventual paving.

Butler Creek box culvert installation south of Cannon Falls on southbound Highway 52. (MnDOT)
Butler Creek box culvert installation south of Cannon Falls on southbound Highway 52. (MnDOT)
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Further north, there's ANOTHER big MnDOT construction project that has restricted traffic to a single lane in the southbound lanes from north of Cannon Falls, through Hampton, Coates and Rosemount. Crews there have been busy repaving the northbound lanes, and MnDOT says traffic will shift in mid-July to the new northbound lanes so crews can work on repaving the southbound lanes.

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