Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Goodbye to Highway 12 detour for now



A 2 1/2 mile segment of Highway 12 between Howard Lake
and Cokato that has been detoured and under construction since July, was
opened to through traffic Thursday.

Road construction is now basically finished for the year
along the section of Highway 12 from 13th Avenue on the west side of Howard
Lake to the west junction of County Road 5 near Cokato.

Some clean-up and turf work remains to be done this fall
and next spring yet, but this should not affect traffic to any degree, according
to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT).

One more layer of blacktop remains to be put in place on
this eastern half of the project. This will probably take place in late
summer next year and will be done under traffic.

Construction this year was concentrated on the eastern
half of a 5-mile section of Highway 12 under a $6.3 million highway improvement
contract. Work will begin next April on the western half of the project
running from the west junction of County Road 5 to Oliver Avenue in Cokato.

There will be no detour for Highway 12 during next year’s
construction season. It is anticipated that the entire 5-mile corridor will
be completed by late summer 1999.

An 8-mile, $9.4 million section of Highway 12 between Delano
and Montrose was also finished and opened to traffic in mid-October.

Improvements to the entire Highway 12 corridor throughout
Wright County include complete reconstruction of the road base and new blacktop,
passing lane sections, turn and bypass lanes, reduced no-passing zones,
flatter ditches and wider clear zones in the right-of-way.

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