Travel Midwest Construction Announcements

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Motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists will once again be able to cross the Mississippi River via Smith Avenue in St. Paul by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21.
Crews will reopen the Smith Avenue High Bridge after a 15-month closure to reconstruct the bridge deck, and improve pedestrian and bicycle accommodations on the bridge.

Reconstruction of the bridge deck is part of a larger project on Smith Avenue and Dodd Road, also known as Highway 149. Additional work on Smith Avenue and Dodd Road includes:
·         Resurfacing Smith Avenue and Dodd Road—MN-149—between West 7th Street in St. Paul and I-494 in Mendota Heights.
·         Improving drainage, sidewalks and pedestrian accessibility.
·         Replacing signals at five Highway 149 intersections.
·         Constructing an additional left turn lane from westbound I-494 to southbound Dodd Road in Mendota Heights.

The project will extend the lifespan of MN-149 and the High Bridge, provide a smoother road surface and improve pedestrian and bicycle accommodations on the bridge.

A short section of the Samuel Morgan Trail that runs beneath the High Bridge and adjacent to the Mississippi River will remain closed through early December while crews finish restoration work near the trail.

Ribbon cutting celebration set for Dec. 2
MnDOT and local partners are hosting a celebration from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2 to recognize the reopening of the High Bridge.
The event will feature a brief ribbon cutting followed by a short, festive winter walk to a local business to celebrate. All are welcome to attend. Details are as follows:

·         Ribbon cutting — 1-2 p.m., south end of High Bridge

·         Winter walk — 2-2:30 p.m., south end of High Bridge to Capital View Café

·         Community celebration — 2-4 p.m., Capital View Café, 637 South Smith Ave., St. Paul. Doors will open at 2 p.m.

For more information about the MN-149 High Bridge project, or to sign up for project updates, visit: www.mndot.gov/metro/projects/hwy149highbridge.

Work to move traffic into its winter configuration on the northern section of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project between Balmoral Avenue in Rosemont and Wolf Road in Franklin Park is scheduled to begin with a final traffic shift this week. Once the shift is complete, the ramps connecting Irving Park Road to northbound I-294 will also reopen.

Electronic message signs and construction signage will be put in place in advance to alert drivers to the traffic shift. The temporary lane closures and traffic shifts are necessary to provide a work zone and safely accommodate traffic.

Weather permitting, on Monday, November 19, traffic between Balmoral Avenue and Wolf Road is scheduled to be reduced to a single lane in both directions beginning at 10 p.m. During this time delays are expected. By 6 a.m. on Tuesday, November 20, all lanes will be reopened and shifted back into their pre-construction configuration.

The ramps connecting Irving Park Road to northbound I-294 in Schiller Park, which have been closed since July, are scheduled to reopen the evening of Tuesday, November 20.

While major advance work is complete, some shoulders will remain closed and off-peak mainline and local lane closures will be needed to wrap up median, signage and roadway lighting work. No additional traffic shifts or long-term lane reductions will be scheduled until construction on the project resumes in 2019.

Work on the Central Tri-State began earlier this year to repair, resurface and widen I-294 to five lanes between Balmoral Avenue and Wolf Road in Franklin Park, as well as to reconstruct barrier walls, medians and shoulders in this area.

Construction in this area was coordinated with the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, Chicago Department of Aviation, Village of Schiller Park, Village of Rosemont and Village of Franklin Park, as well as local fire and police departments.

The Central Tri-State Tollway is being reconstructed to provide congestion relief, update old infrastructure to meet current and future transportation demand and address regional needs. This work is part of the Tollway’s 15-year program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future. More than 220,000 vehicles use the Central Tri-State Tollway daily.

A detailed planning and refinement process is underway to complete design and construction plans for reconstruction of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294), including reconfiguring the I-290/I-88 Interchange at I-294, rebuilding the Mile Long Bridge and the BNSF Railway Bridge as well as integrating Flex Lanes and SmartRoad technology. The Central Tri-State Concept includes findings and draft recommendations being considered and evaluated by the Tollway as it moves forward in the reconstruction of the Central Tri-State.

Maps, construction and detour information about the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project is available on the Tollway’s website at illinoistollway.com via the Interactive Tollway Map and under “Projects Overview” in the Explore Projects section.

The Lake County Division of Transportation (LCDOT) is currently replacing the Eagle Creek culvert on Rollins Road, requiring a road closure from Fairfield Road to Wilson Road. Due to continued complications at the site, the closure has been extended. The latest estimate for the contractor to safely reopen the road is now Friday, Nov. 30 (weather permitting).

We know that the motorists who depend on this road have run out of patience, and we are doing everything we can to get the road back open. While we take great pride in delivering road improvements on schedule, occasionally we have projects that don’t go according to plan. This project is an example of one where anything that could go wrong – did.

The main disruption to the original schedule was an unforeseen utility conflict. The original plan was for the contractor to work on both ends of the culvert simultaneously, but the utility conflict made it so that the contractor had to work on one end first, and the other end second - basically doubling the initial schedule. After that, delays due to weather, equipment issues and a car crashing into the jobsite caused major complications and disrupted the schedule.

There are many things we build into our contracts to protect the public from unnecessary delays. In this case, LCDOT and the contractor are working through the various issues that have disrupted the project schedule and we will open the road as quickly as we can and when it is safe to do so.

Detour Route: Fairfield Road to IL 134 to Wilson Road. Local traffic will have access on Rollins Road from Elm Avenue west to Wilson Road and from Grove Avenue east to Fairfield Road.

Ramp resurfacing work is part of ongoing repair work along I-294

Overnight closures on the ramp connecting westbound I-190 to the southbound Tri-State Tollway (I-294) have been rescheduled to the week of November 26 for ramp resurfacing work. Detours will be posted.

Electronic message signs and construction signage will be put in place in advance to alert drivers to the overnight closures and detour. The temporary closures are necessary to provide a work zone and safely accommodate repairs. All work is weather dependent.

Overnight on Tuesday, November 27, the ramp connecting westbound I-190 to southbound I-294 is scheduled to close beginning at midnight and reopen by 5 a.m. on Wednesday, November 28. A detour will be posted directing traffic to exit at Mannheim Road before re-entering I-190 headed in the eastbound direction to reach southbound I-294. Similar closures are also scheduled for overnight Wednesday, November 28, and overnight Thursday, November 29.