MnDOT to close I-35 ramps, lanes on Faribault Daily News

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MnDOT to close I-35 ramps, lanes

By: Jim Hammerand

Posted: Monday, January 26, 2009 11:56 pm

Traffic passes along Interstate 35 on Monday afternoon. The Minnesota Department of Transportation will be rehabilitating seven bridges and 10 bridge approaches starting in May. (Jackson Forderer/Daily News)

jhammerand@faribault.com

FARIBAULT — Bridge maintenance on Interstate 35 will slow drivers as they pass through Faribault this summer, but the Minnesota Department of Transportation hopes the end result will be a smoother ride and less stress on the bridges between the Highway 21 exits.

From May through at least July, MnDOT will steer northbound interstate traffic onto the southbound lanes — and then do the opposite — while crews rehabilitate seven bridges and all of the 10 bridge approaches, said MnDOT District Structures Engineer Craig Falkum.

“Right now out there, if you drive (the interstate) there’s bumps in those places where the existing approach panels have settled just from the pounding they’ve taken from the traffic,” he said.

This road work will be just one of several projects going on in and around Faribault this summer. The Viaduct will be closed starting Feb. 2, and Phase II of the downtown construction project is slated to start in May.

Smoothing things out

A smooth bridge approach, made of reinforced concrete immediately before a bridge, absorbs the forward force of traffic that would otherwise be placed on the spans.

“Every time you see a truck that’s riding high over a bump, it’s coming down on the bridge deck,” Falkum said.

This project, estimated to cost as much as $3 million, will replace bumpy and rutted panels, he said.

The speed limit will drop to 60 mph, Falkum said, and drivers should look in the Daily News for lane and ramp closure information.

Faribault Public Works Director Tom Drake said he didn’t anticipate any “great” traffic impacts along Highway 21, which drivers may use to bypass the roadwork.

“Obviously, people will get smarter and try to avoid certain stretches of the interstate or get on different ramps, but it won’t be that significant for the city,” Drake said.

MnDOT is also readying specs for resurfacing the 4.5-mile work zone with asphalt, with funding contingent on Congress’ economic stimulus plan.

Traffic alerts

Though they won’t likely go live before the bridge work is done, MnDOT also plans to put up to four dynamic LED traffic alert signs north and south of Faribault along Interstate 35.

The permanent roadside signs — northbound at mile markers 51 and 65 and southbound at 47 and 62 — will warn drivers by September of crashes, closures, poor driving conditions, Amber Alerts and other issues.

“If we can use these signs to give drivers advance information, we hope that they will slow down a bit,” said MnDOT District Traffic Engineer Michael Schweyen, who said the signs will be located to give warning of segments that maintenance workers and state troopers have reported to have high rates of crashes or poor visibility in bad weather.

Those warnings could reduce the risk of a collision with accident responders or maintenance crews, Schweyen said.

Each sign, about 7 feet tall and 20 feet wide, will accommodate three lines of 15 characters and be mounted at least 7 feet above the roadway pavement, Schweyen said.

State and federal safety funds will pay for the project, which includes another four signs between Owatonna and the Iowa border and is estimated to cost about $450,000, Schweyen said.

If funding comes up short, MnDOT may drop the sign at mile marker 65 and another in Freeborn County, Schweyen said.

Neither the bridge maintenance project nor the signs project has been contracted out.

— Staff writer Jim Hammerand may be reached at 333-3128.

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Member Opinions: By: gofaribs on 1/28/09 If they're only 7 feet above the pavement, they're not going to last long.
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