Delano Herald Journal

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

As one construction project winds down, another will begin



INDEPENDENCE, MN – As crews continue to work toward an end-of-September completion date for construction in Delano on Highway 12, temporary signals are being installed on Highway 12 east of Delano in Independence for an upcoming month-long detour.

The detour will be for a project that will replace the existing Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad Bridge on Highway 12 in Independence and reconstruct one mile of Highway 12 between Hennepin County Road 90 in Independence and Hennepin County Road 83 in Maple Plain, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).

The existing bridge does not meet minimum standard vertical clearance requirements over the highway, and the design of the existing bridge and the current roadway geometrics limit the sight distance on Highway 12, according to MnDOT.

Construction of the new bridge will provide the necessary vertical clearance and improve the sight distance through the bridge corridor.

The new roadway will provide 12-foot lanes, 10-foot shoulders, and left and right turn lanes to existing businesses.

Tentative schedule and traffic impacts

• Late August through early-September 2009: Installation of temporary signals at the intersections of Hennepin County Road 90/Hennepin County Road 6, Hennepin County Road 6/Hennepin County Road 83, and Hennepin County Road 6/Hennepin County Road 19.

• Tuesday, Sept. 1 through early October: Highway 12 will be closed and detoured between Hennepin County Road 90 and Hennepin County Road 83. The contractor will construct temporary railroad embankment, correct soils, replace culverts, and relocate utilities.

• Early October though April 1, 2010: Highway 12 open for traffic during the winter.

• April 1, 2010 though mid-October 2010: Highway 12 closed and detoured. The contractor will construct the railroad embankment, remove the old bridge, construct the new bridge, and reconstruct Highway 12.

Work will continue after Highway 12 is re-opened to remove the temporary signal systems, complete final clean-up, etc.

One month detour this year; seven-month detour planned in 2010

The proposed detour for Highway 12 is Hennepin County Road 90 to Hennepin County Road 6 to Highway 12.

As part of this detour, three temporary signals will be installed at the intersections of Hennepin County Road 90/ Hennepin County Road 6, Hennepin County Road 83/Hennepin County Road 6, and Hennepin County Road 19/Hennepin County Road 6.

It was noted access to the city of Maple Plain and Maple Plain businesses via Hennepin County Roads 83 and 19 and Highway 12 for westbound commuters, will remain open throughout construction.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.