Major Rochester Area Highway Project Starts Monday

Stewartville, MN (KROC-AM News) - Construction work is scheduled to begin Monday on a major highway project in the Rochester area.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation says the Highway 63/I-90 interchange improvement project will take two years to complete and will include replacing both Highway 63 bridges, adding or realigning the I-90 exit ramps, and rerouting Highway 30. The initial phase of the project will involve the construction of crossover lanes to move traffic once crews began work on replacing the bridges.

MnDOT says motorists on Highway 63 can expect Lane closures between the Rochester Airport and Stewartville beginning Monday and Highway 30 will be closed from Highway 63 to Olmsted County Road 8. A stop sign is being added on Highway 30 at the intersection with County Road 8, while the stop signs currently in place at the intersection for traffic on County Road 8 will be removed.

Once the crossover lanes are built, the northbound lanes on Highway 63 will be closed through this year's construction season to allow for the replacement of the northbound bridge at the I-90 interchange. The southbound bridge will be replaced next year.

The overall project has a budget of over $15 million. For more information visit the Department of Transportation project website.

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