The Minnesota Department of Transportation is taking a second attempt at diverting westbound traffic on Interstate 94 at Monticello onto a bypass this weekend, this time after summer “lake” traffic has made its Friday departure.
The experiment failed, miserably, last Friday, leaving hundreds of cars trapped in a traffic jam from Monticello more than eight miles to the east in Albertville after the road collapsed. Crews hurriedly shut down the temporary road and diverted cars back onto the westbound lanes due to be demolished once this phase of the project moves forward.Here’s more from MnDOT:
“As you’ve likely heard by now, some pavement failed on the temporary lanes of westbound I-94 last Friday. That pavement failure was caused by a combination of saturated soils and heavy traffic. As a result, westbound I-94 was reduced to a single lane for a short time, crews switched westbound I-94 back to its original lanes, and all lane and ramp closures were postponed.
Crews have been working to repair those temporary lanes and, if all goes as planned, westbound I-94 will now be switched to the temporary lanes after 2 p.m. Saturday, May 31.
Below is the full list of what to expect after the switch is made. (Hint: nothing has changed except for the dates.)
- Both directions of I-94 between CR 18 and Hwy 25 will be switched to narrow, temporary lanes with a reduced 55 mph speed limit through early-Oct.
- The ramp from westbound I-94 to Hwy 25 will close through late-July/early-Aug. A signed detour will direct you to exit about two miles early at County Rd 18, then along local roads to Hwy 25 and local businesses.
- The ramp from CR 18 to westbound I-94 will close through early-Oct. You can access westbound I-94 using the Hwy 25 ramp. (Remember, this detour will remain in place until the “Go Hasty” detour begins.*)
- Both ramps from Hwy 25 to eastbound I-94 will remain closed. The ramps are scheduled to open in early Oct.
- See it all now – download the map (PDF)
- *The Go Hasty detour is scheduled to begin June 5.
As always, the schedule is tentative. We’ll issue updated information through these emails as details become available.”