I-90 bridge project begins soon
Published 6:06 pm Tuesday, April 2, 2024
- A semi passes beneath the Oakland Avenue West bridge over Interstate 90. This bridge will be the first of a six-site bridge repair/replacement project by the Minnesota Department of Transportation starting in mid-April. Herald file photo
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Work is just days away on the mammoth Interstate 90 bridge project.
Austin City Engineer Steven Lang updated the Austin City Council on the project during its meeting Monday night reporting that work on the first bridge, Oakland Avenue West/Highway 105, will begin on April 19 when the bridge is shut down and demolition begins. He also said there may be closures prior to that for prep work.
In relation to that bridge, the council unanimously approved a detour agreement with Minnesota Department of Transportation that would divert Highway 105 traffic north onto 14th Street NW in order to access I-90.
The bridge, which will include a wide walkway connecting to a future city/county trail, is expected to be wrapped up in August.
This graphic shows the work being done on this first bridge in Austin.
Graphic courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Transportation
Two more projects are expected to start later this summer and stretch into 2025, including a new interchange over Fourth Street NW as well as the reconstruction of the two bridges over the Cedar River and resurfacing of the bridges over Sixth Street NE.
Sixth Street will remain open during this work, while the road will be closed for the Fourth Street work.
Cost of the entire six-bridge project is set to cost just under $50 million with the final bridge expected to be finished in 2026.
For more on the entire project, including designs, visit: www.dot.state.mn.us/d6/projects/i90-austin-bridge-replacements/
City road projects
The City Council also approved accepting the low bid for four city street projects this construction year.
The council accepted the low bid from ICON, LLC for over $3.9 million.
Rather than bid separately, the city opted to bid one time for all four projects because they are all similar types of work.
The projects include work on:
• Ninth Street and 12th Street SW
• Fourth Avenue NE
• First Avenue NE
• Second Avenue, 16th Street and 17th Street NW.
The projects will be paid using just over $3 million from the Capital Improvement Fund, just over $596,000 from the Wastewater Treatment Plant Fund and just over $337,000 from the Stormwater Utility Fund.
For more on these projects, visit: www.ci.austin.mn.us/public-works/city-construction-projects
