Brainerd – Commercial Highway 371 will reopen on Saturday, October. 1.
The section between Greenwood Street and Buffalo Hills Lane/Industrial Park Road is scheduled to open at 5pm on Saturday.
The intersection of Buffalo Hills Lane/Industrial Park Road will remain parked until signal poles arrive in late November.
Motorists will continue to experience regular lane closures marked between Barrows and Brainerd. Work will take place between sunrise and sunset on weekdays in good weather until October.
Drivers should pay attention to workers and flashing equipment and stop or slow down as workers remove traffic controls, restore road shoulders and establish turf, install permanent road markings, install rumble/whisper strips, and complete final punch checklist items.
The $7.1 million project, which began in May, includes smoother pavement, updated drainage and improved access and safety along the 4 miles of Business Highway 371 between Brainerd and Barrows.
Specific improvements include:
- Center left turn lane Mathias Road/County Highway 21 and Greenwood Street at St. Louis 70th Avenue intersection.
- Upgrade traffic lights at Buffalo Hills Lane/Industrial Park Road.
- Sidewalk on the east side of the road between Joseph Street and Industrial Park Road.
The project also includes realigning Greenwood Street to be perpendicular to South Sixth Street and to allow for proper sight lines at the intersection. The Minnesota Department of Transportation relocated 840 feet south of Woodland Hills Lane, with the City of Brainerd responsible for the final portion.
Greenwood Street was also resurfaced, adding aggregate shoulders to the existing gravel road. Because it is a municipal state aid street, the city was able to use state aid funds for this portion of the project, estimated at less than $114,000.
For more information on the project, visit bit.ly/371Construction.