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Transportation
MPR News Staff

Road projects aim to ease congestion along Twin Cities freeway, Rochester interchange

Traffic moves along a freeway through a rural landscape
Traffic moves along U.S. Highway 10 in Coon Rapids on Monday, in a view from a MnDOT traffic camera. MnDOT is starting a project to add an additional driving lane in each direction along this stretch of freeway.
Minnesota Department of Transportation

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Road construction season is getting underway across Minnesota with work on a couple of major projects starting this week and next.

That includes a project to add additional driving lanes to a well-traveled Twin Cities freeway and major changes to a busy freeway interchange near Rochester.

U.S. Highway 10 in Coon Rapids

The Minnesota Department of Transportation said the project starting this week along U.S. Highway 10 in Coon Rapids will add a third driving lane in each direction between Hanson and Round Lake boulevards.

It's in response to increased traffic and congestion in the area in recent years — both on the freeway and on local streets nearby.

Crews will also repave that stretch of freeway and add some walls to reduce traffic noise in nearby neighborhoods.

As work begins this week, there will be overnight ramp closures in the area. The transportation department says it will maintain two driving lanes in each direction on Highway 10 as work continues through the spring, summer and fall.

Most of the work on the $40 million project is slated to be finished by mid-October, though there will be some final work completed next spring.

Interstate 90-U.S. Highway 52 interchange near Rochester

Work is set to resume Monday, April 7, on a reconstruction of the interchange of U.S. Highway 52 and Interstate 90 east of Rochester.

A major goal of the project is to improve safety and traffic flow by eliminating the need for left turns for drivers entering eastbound I-90 from Highway 52. To do that, the transportation department will construct a new flyover ramp to carry traffic heading from Rochester toward Winona and La Crosse. The agency says that will eliminate 92 percent of left turns at that interchange.

It’ll be the second year of the three-year, more-than-$27 million dollar project. In addition to building the new flyover bridge, crews will also be demolishing and replacing the I-90 bridges over Highway 52.

I-90 traffic in that area will be reduced to a single lane in each direction through the spring, summer and fall. Highway 52 will be closed south of the freeway and there will be some ramp closures, too. Detours will be posted.