Business Highway 371 roadwork meet-and-greet set for Tuesday, April 26 in Brainerd

Map of road project area in Brainerd. — The detour and work on the project is slated to begin in mid-May.

By Dispatch staff report

April 22, 2022 03:00 PM

BAXTER — The public is invited to attend an open house to learn about the upcoming roadwork on Business Highway 371 from Barrows to Brainerd.

The event will be 4 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at Trinity Lutheran Church (downstairs Fellowship Hall) at 1420 South Sixth St. in Brainerd. Guests can come when it is convenient for them as a formal presentation will not be given.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation stated participants will have the opportunity to visit with project staff, ask questions, view layouts, and learn work and detour details. For those unable to make the open house, information is provided on the project webpage at www.dot.state.mn.us/d3/brd/ .

The detour and work on the project is slated to begin in mid-May. There will be sidewalk closures and detours for pedestrians.

Business Highway 371 will close in mid-May between Joseph Street and Buffalo Hills Lane/Industrial Park Road in Brainerd. Motorists are to follow a signed detour along Willow Street, 13th Avenue and Industrial Park Road. Access will be maintained to area residents, businesses and health care clinics; however, expect changes, MnDOT reported. The Business Highway 371 intersection at Buffalo Hills Lane and Industrial Park Road will become an all-way stop.

MnDOT will improve 4 miles of Business Highway 371, which includes the following work:

Resurface (mill and overlay) from 70th Avenue to Greenwood Street (2.5 miles),
Reconstruct from Greenwood Street and Joseph Street in Brainerd (1.5 miles),
Replace city storm sewer and curb/gutters,
Install center left-turn lanes at the intersections of 70th Avenue, St. Mathias Road/County Road 21 and Greenwood Street,
Upgrade the signal system at Buffalo Hills Lane and Industrial Park Road,
Add pedestrian sidewalks and approaches between Industrial Park Road and Joseph Street.

When complete in October, travelers will benefit from a smoother road surface, updated drainage, and improved access and safety.
MnDOT invites and encourages participation by all. If anyone needs an ASL, foreign language interpreter or other reasonable accommodation, or needs documents in an alternative format (such as braille or large print), email the request tp ADArequest.dot@state.mn.us or call 651-366-4720.

By Dispatch staff report

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of "staff." Often, the "staff" byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

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