Victoria Nill, an assistant district engineer with the Mankato office of MnDOT, reviews construction plans for Interstate 90 during an open house for the public held in Blue Earth on Thursday, April 6.

Work is set to begin early in May on the 2023-24 Interstate 90 project from just west of Blue Earth to Highway 22 south of Wells.

An open house for people interested in learning more about the project was held on Thursday, April 6, at the 10 Talents Art Center in Blue Earth. Representatives from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the engineering firm of Bolton and Menk were on hand to answer questions concerning the project.

“The public should start seeing activity beginning around May 1,” assistant MnDOT engineer Victoria Nill said. “It will be the middle of May before we close the westbound lanes and have head-to-head traffic in the eastbound lanes.”

Nill was quick to remind people the dates were not set in stone.

“We live in Minnesota and the construction timeline is always subject to change because of the weather,” she cautioned.

The construction project, which has a price tag of close to $82 million, will span two years and has a target completion date of October 2024.

In addition to resurfacing both the eastbound and westbound lanes, the project also will include repairing six bridges and guardrail, repairing culverts, replacing lighting at the interchange with Highway 169 and at the I-90 Blue Earth Rest Areas, improving the pavement at 14 entrance/exit ramps and reconstructing a more permanent pavement fix under overhead bridges.

“We will also be improving the sidewalks at the two I-90 Blue Earth Rest Areas so they comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),” Nill added.

The length of the highway being repaired is about 20 miles.

“We will do the westbound lane this year and the eastbound lane next year,” Nill commented. “We will start at the west end of the highway each year.”

This year’s construction will necessitate closing the westbound entrance/exit ramps for up to two months.

“This will affect the County Road 17 and Highway 169 westbound ramps earlier this summer,” Nill said. “The Bricelyn/CR 23 and Highway 22 exits will close later.”

Faribault County Public Works director Mark Daly told people a direct link to the MnDOT I-90 Construction Project can be found on the Public Works Department website.

“Using that link or going online directly to the www.511mn.org website is the best way to have the most accurate, up-to-date information,” Nill mentioned.

In addition to the ramp closures, the westbound rest area will also be closed for a period of time this summer.

“We anticipate having to close the rest area for about two months,” Nill shared. “Again, the exact time will be determined by the weather.”

The I-90 construction project will also see a return of the gold panel of concrete across all the lanes of the highway.

“We realize it was called the golden spike but that is a railroad term,” Nill explained. “We know having the gold panel marking where east meets west is important to this area and we plan on getting the community involved in helping to decide which color of gold we should make the highway.”

The resurfacing of I-90 involves using an unbonded concrete overlay over the current surface.

“The overlay will be about eight and a half inches thick,” Nill said. “We have to do things differently under bridges so we maintain the current clearance measurements.”

Maps were also available which showed how traffic will be rerouted during the project.

“Again, for the latest information, please visit the website,” Nill concluded.