With snow starting to melt, road construction season is fast approaching.

The state of Minnesota is set to resurface Highway 218 South from Austin to the Iowa border for a cost of about $3.5 million, according to Kristin Kammueller, a community relations coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The Mower County Highway Department is also preparing more than $3 million in road work for the 2011 construction season.

“We’re going to have a pretty busy year,” County Engineer Mike Hanson said.

The county plans to finish last year’s work on County Road 45 north of Mapleview. Projects are also planned on County Roads 2 and 12.

A project to restore the Roosevelt Bridge and pave the Shooting Star Trail from Adams to Rose Creek are pending at the state level.

Additional projects could be looked at in the spring.

“We need to take a look at our roads in the spring and see where we’re at,” Hanson said.

The county board still has to give the final go-ahead for the projects.