MONTICELLO — The moment that many drivers have been dreading is quickly approaching, with repair work on the Highway 25 bridge slated to begin Monday.
MnDOT will resurface and update the bridge over the Mississippi River connecting Monticello to Big Lake from July 8 through late October.
The work will have a definite impact on travel in the area, with Highway 25 reduced to one lane in each direction at all hours, all the way from 3rd Street in Monticello to the intersection of County Roads 11 and 14 in Big Lake.
Drivers are warned backups will occur at busy times of day, including during the morning and evening commutes. MnDOT suggests alternate river crossings, which include Highway 24 from Clear Lake to Clearwater to the north, or Highway 101 from Elk River to Rogers to the south.
The repairs are estimated at $3.1 million, and include milling and refacing the bridge deck, replacing panels and joints, fixing concrete, widening sidewalks, upgrading lighting and also improving stormwater drainage.
In addition to traffic shifting to either side of the bridge as crews work, there will also be a few full closures of the bridge overnight from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
These full overnight closures are only anticipated to happen three to fives times during the project, but are necessary to reduce vibration on the bridge as concrete sets.
At this time, traffic will be diverted to detours on Highways 10 and 101, along with Interstate 94.
While work is taking place, there will be several traffic restrictions in the area. In Monticello, this includes Broadway/County Road 75, which will have one right-turn to go north on Highway 25. Additionally, River Street will not have access to Highway 25 and the signal will be deactivated.
On the Big Lake side, the right lane of Highway 25 to turn onto County Road 11 will be a right-turn-only lane. County Road 11 at Highway 25 will have one right-turn and one through/left-turn, while County Road 14 will have one left-turn and one through/right-turn.
Drivers are advised to use 511mn.org to find out current travel speeds and road conditions.
For current or upcoming impacts, to view maps, contact the project team or sign up for construction updates, visit the project website at www.mndot.gov/d3/projects/monticello.
Bridge history
The four-lane concrete girder bridge was built in 1988 by MnDOT and designed by VanDoren Hazard Stallings. It measures 1,007 feet long by 68 feet wide, and sits about 24 feet above the Mississippi River. The previous bridge in this location, built in 1930, was a humpback-truss bridge with a decorative wrought-iron railing. One unique feature about the 1930 bridge was that it had restrooms built into the bridge, underneath the sidewalk in the southwest corner next to the bridge abutment. The restrooms were closed in 1962 when it was determined they could not easily be connected to the new sewage treatment plant.
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