Motorists traveling on area highways in central Minnesota may encounter periodic lane closures and flaggers as tree clearing work is scheduled through March, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said Tuesday.
Work will occur on weekdays, on good weather days, at Highway 10 Elk River from west of Joplin Street to east of Upland Street in Elk River (2 miles) in Sherburne County. The tree removal is in preparation for the upcoming two-year Lake Orono bridge replacement project set to begin in July, a MnDOT news release said. Visit mndot.gov/d3/h10orono/ for more information.
Disruption to traffic is expected to be minimal as the work will take place off the highway; however, there will be occasions when equipment parked along the highway may require a lane closure or flagging operation.
The tree removal work is necessary over winter to ensure that it does not disrupt the northern long eared bat, which is classified as an endangered species, and is in hibernation now away from the trees. All work to be completed by the end of March.
Additional tree removal projects in progress in central Minnesota:
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• Highway 71 and Highway 27 in Long Prairie in preparation for future road resurfacing project to begin mid-summer 2017.
• Highway 210 (Highway 169) northeast of Aitkin in preparation for future culvert bridge replacement project to begin late-June 2017.
