By Lori Ehde
Construction on Highway 75 between Interstate 90 and Edgerton will begin Monday, causing detours in the city of Luverne and north of Hardwick.
Luverne's detour will begin soon after the project starts for the "mill and overlay" work in town.
This includes stripping asphalt down to the concrete, hauling it to a bituminous mixing plant three miles east of Hardwick, and reapplying the asphalt overlay.
The work in town also includes some curb and gutter repair and replacing railroad tracks two blocks south of Main Street.
Work north of the stoplights will allow traffic to pass around crews, but Highway 75 will be closed from I-90 to Main Street for three to four weeks - cutting off the lifeblood to many businesses operating along that stretch.
Bad for business
"That's really going to kill us," said Joyce Sandbo, manager of Pizza Hut. "I know it's going to put our sales way down, and if business drops off, we'll have to cut back on employee hours, too, so it affects all of us."
Sandbo said she hopes the road reopens in time for bike rally traffic heading to Sturgis, S.D., during the first week in August.
Country Kitchen owner Raney Israelson said he's disappointed with the timing of the project.
"July and August are our biggest months. In the summer time we really rely on our interstate traffic, which is 75 percent of our business in the summer," Israelson said.
"It's really poor timing on the DOT's part. I strongly believe that project could have been started in April or October. Tourists aren't going to come off the interstate when they see the barricades up saying the road's closed."
LeRoy Lindbloom, manager of Farmers Union Co-op Oil, is bracing for the construction, but looks forward to the end result.
"It will affect us, but what are you going to do? The work needs to be done," he said. "I suppose our local people will find us, but the traveling people will stay out by the interstate."
When asked about the timing of the project, Minnesota Department of Transportation project supervisor Ken Janovsky said tourism season always runs concurrent with road construction projects.
"We can't work on it in the winter," he said. "That's Minnesota, though, isn't it? There's winter and there's road construction."
He said crews will do their best to accommodate businesses and get the work done quickly.
Luverne detour
Traffic entering Luverne from the south on Highway 75 will be directed to turn left (west) on Gabrielson Road (by Taco John's).
Gabrielson loops around the west edge of town through the industrial area and connects with West Main Street (County Road 4) near the ethanol plant.
Detoured traffic reconnects with Highway 75 from West Main Street at the stoplights.
The other closed portion of Highway 75 will be between Hardwick and Edgerton as crews repair culverts along that stretch.
Rural detour
Motorists will be detoured five miles east through Hardwick on County Road 7 to County Road 2. This will take them north to Edgerton where they will turn east on Highway 268, which reconnects with Highway 75 six miles west of Edgerton.
That portion of the road will be closed roughly six weeks, depending on weather and construction progress. It will start about the same time Luverne's work begins.
Duininck Brothers Inc., Prinsburg, was awarded the state contract with a bid of $2.6 million. Some of the materials used for the work will come from the new quartzite quarry mined from the Marcella Scott pastures near Hardwick.
Janovsky reminds motorists to drive with caution in the work zones. "Stay alert, don't tailgate and be patient," he said. "Remember, the work zone crews are working to improve your future ride."
The last major Highway 75 improvement in Luverne was nearly more than 10 years ago, and the rural portion north of Luverne hasnÕt been redone since 1985, according to Janovsky.