With construction season in full swing, MnDOT is working on 23 new and carryover projects in Northeastern Minnesota this summer. This includes two roundabouts, three culvert replacements, five bridge projects, and 60 miles of pavement resurfacing. Multiple projects will be on I-35, including one in the Hinckley area.

“We’re releasing some bridges and we’re doing some reconstruction of the road. So it’s going to be all new pavement, all new bridges, and right around in Hinkley,” said MnDOT District 1 Public Affairs Coordinator Margie Nelson. “We’re expecting some major traffic impacts from that. We’re head-to-head right now, and it’ll be that way through the fall.”

The Atkinson Bridge will be redone by August. Highway 61 up the North Shore will have expressway work starting Tuesday, May 28, and there will be work on Highway 169 between Chisholm and Mountain Iron. With all of this road work, zipper merging properly will help decrease unnecessary slow-downs.

“What you want to do is when you’re coming into the towards the road closure, use both lanes all the way up until the merge point. Don’t wait in the queue. Don’t be Minnesota nice and just wait your turn. It reduces the backups, so when you’re getting up there, just take turns one at a time, and then it’ll actually make things move faster,” explained Nelson.

Planning ahead can also help reduce your travel time. Peak hours, especially Friday and Sunday afternoons are expected to be busy and slow. It is also important to be extra cautious while in a work zone.

“Pay attention to what’s going on. Things might have changed since the last time you’ve driven through there, so we just want everyone to get home safe,” said Nelson. “We want all our workers on the site, and we want all motorists to be safe out there as well.”