MnDOT Officials Lay Out Specifics of Summer Construction on Highway 13

Half of Highway 13 will be under construction this summer. The Minnesota Department of Transportation plans to resurface and repair the heavily trafficked road from Interstate 35W to West St. Paul.

Once completed, Highway 13 will boast a smoother, longer-lasting asphalt surface, new pedestrian crossings that are handicapped-accessible, new curb and gutter, and better drainage. The project is expected to cost $11.4 million in state and federal funds. 

MnDOT officials say the construction itself will be scheduled to avoid traffic snarls and backups as much as possible, and that much of the work will be concentrated over nights and weekends. They hope that closures will be kept to a minimum. The road will be at least partially accessible at all times, though drivers should expect temporary lane closures and detours as work progresses, said Dave Herzog, resident engineer from MnDOT's Mendota office.

Construction crews will also revamp the loops connecting Highway 13 and Highway 77, though Herzog promised that this work would occur at night, primarily. He said that MnDOT will likely route a detour through exits at Diffley and Cliff Road, which would also serve as the primary alternate route connecting I35 and Highway 77. 

City officials greeted the project as a mixed blessing.

"We've been waiting for improvement on Highway 13 for years and years and years. Usually we hear 'not until 2020,'" said Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, who nevertheless voiced concerns about how the construction would affect businesses and residents dependent on the road.

Kautz was particularly interested in how the construction would affect Burnsville High School's main campus and graduation. Herzog said that MnDOT had asked for a cessation of construction over two specific periods—May 18 through May 20 (during Burnsville's citywide garage sale) and June 1 through June 9, which would correspnd to high graduation. 

Herzog further added that all businesses and residences will remain accessible throughout the project—even those that have only a single point of entry, such as the Pleasant View Memorial Gardens, a city utility station, and two neighborhoods adjoining the road.

Business owners with questions are encouraged to contact MnDOT Liaison J.P. Gillach, who is reachable at 651-234-7701 or james.gillach@state.mn.us. Residents can also sign up for e-mail updates with info on closures and detour routes. 

The project is part of a $357 million effort called "Better Roads for Minnesota," a longterm MnDOT initiative to revamp 500 miles of roads around the state that have been found to be in "poor" condition.