The Minnesota Department of Transportation offered an update on progress for the Highway 371 construction project.
Traffic update
On Monday the segment of CR 112 located just north of downtown Pequot Lakes, from just north of Isabelle Drive to 800 feet north of Akerson Road, will close. If all goes as planned, the road will open by Oct. 1. CR 11 remains closed just east of downtown Pequot Lakes. As always, access to local homes and businesses will be maintained.
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Construction Update
East Cullen Brook area - wick drains and surcharge
Crews finished installing the wick drains at Cullen Brook at noon on June 8. More than 475,000 linear feet (or 90 miles) of "wick" were installed to an average depth of 32 feet in the area of the future road bed. After the 90 miles of wick drain were installed, crews placed about six feet of fill over the area. That material will be left to settle. As it settles and compacts, water will escape upward through all of that wick drain. More and more and more material will be added until the ground beneath the future roadbed is solid enough to support the future roadway. This process is called a "surcharge." Completing a surcharge in this area could take several years without the wick drains installed. With the wick drains installed, the process will take less than a year. The wick drains will not be removed after the surcharge is complete. Many people have asked how MnDOT will know the soil is ready. The answer: geo technical instrumentation was also installed at the site, and is providing real time data to engineers and others who monitor and measure the settlement of the surcharge. After the soils reach their proper specifications, the road can be built.
Paul Bunyan Trail & Bridge at Wilderness Road
The first phase of work is complete on the Paul Bunyan Trail bridge south of Wilderness Rd. The concrete is poured, and all footings, abutments, and the single pier are in place. The next step is to place the prefabricated bridge trusses and complete the bridge deck. If all goes as planned, that will happen in mid/late July, and the bridge will be complete in August.
Paul Bunyan Trail bridge at north leg of CR 107
Work is underway on the Paul Bunyan Trail Bridge at CR 107. Footings are in place, and the lone pier is complete. Stay tuned for updates on progress.
CR 11 interchange and new Hwy 371 lanes
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A lot of earthwork is happening along the route of the future Hwy 371. Construction on the future Hwy 371/CR 11 Pequot Lakes interchange has also begun, and next week you'll see the future bridge that will span CR 11 over Hwy 371 begin to take shape.
Reduced Conflict Intersection at Akerson Road
Work has begun on the future Hwy 371/Akerson Road Reduced Conflict Intersection. The new intersection will allow safer access between Hwy 371 and local roads, and will open as part of a temporary route this fall.
