Project just one of 290 total set for completion during MnDOT’s upcoming 2015 construction season
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced on Thursday morning, April 2, the kick off of the 2015 construction season.
Transportation Commissioner Charlie Zelle and MnDOT engineers released a list of 290 transportation construction projects that are getting underway this construction season. Projects scheduled for this year will help preserve and maintain state highways, bridges and other transportation infrastructure. A full list of those projects is available here.
One of those projects directly affects this Cross-Counties Connect area – the District 7 Mankato/Windom area. Work will begin in May on Minnesota State Highway #60 between Butterfield and Mountain Lake – the “Middle Gap” of the St. James-to-Windom four-lane expansion of the highway. Construction will continue into October.
The approximately five miles of work will include the construction of two new eastbound lanes to the south of the existing two-lane section. As well, the existing two-lane section of roadway will become the westbound lanes. Work will also be done those two current lanes, such as the repaving of existing shoulders, repairing of concrete and the lengthening of existing turn lanes. Other parts of the project will be construction of stormwater ponds. The end benefit of the construction will be improved safety and mobility.
To complete the work, motorists should expect a short-term detour of two months (June-August) to build the connections.
The $11.2 million “Middle Gap” project should be completed during this 2015 construction season.
To accommodate this construction, the detour is tentatively planned to go south of Highway #60. In Cottonwood County, that detour will be south from Mountain Lake on Cottonwood County Road #1 approximately two miles to Cottonwood County Road #16 , east on Cottonwood County Road #16 continuing on into Watonwan County on Watonwan County Road #10, north on Watonwan County Road #5 to Butterfield and back to Highway #60.
The Mountain Lake-to-Windom four-lane expansion project- the West Gap” – will begin in the spring of 2017 and be completed in 2018, finally making Highway #60 from Sioux City to Minneapolis a four-lane highway. Construction on the “East Gap” of St. James-to-Butterfield was done during the 2013 and 2014 construction seasons.
The estimated total project cost for construction work on all three gaps of the St. James-to-Windom connection is $78 million.
For more detailed info go to – mndot.gov/d7/projects/hwy60stjames/
