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Motorists on Interstate 90 in Austin will be detoured each night on May 19-23 while construction crews place bridge beams over the road at Fourth Street Northwest, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

I-90 detours will start at 8 p.m. each night and end the next morning by 6 a.m. This schedule continues from the evening of May 19 through the morning of May 23.

The beam placement for the Austin I-90 bridges project marks a project milestone and signals additional changes for motorists in the second year of this three-year $50 million construction project at six sites in Austin. The new bridge will open to traffic at Fourth Street Northwest by late fall.

During the daily overnight beam placement:

• Eastbound I-90 traffic will be slowed to travel up and down the off- and on-ramps at Fourth Street Northwest.
• Westbound I-90 traffic will be detoured off I-90 at Highway 218 south (Exit 180 B) on the east side of Austin. Travel south on Highway 218 to Mower County Road 28 west to Highway 105 north where it will reconnect with I-90 on the west side of Austin at the Highway 105/Oakland Avenue bridge. Westbound traffic will be able reach Austin destinations by using exits at:

— Oakland Place Northeast (Exit 180 A)

— 11th Drive Northeast (Exit 179)

— Sixth Street Northeast (178B) – No traffic will be allowed past this exit during the nightly closures.

Also starting on May 19, Austin motorists will be detoured at Fourth Street Northwest and 13th Avenue Northwest while construction crews replace underground city water main and storm sewer utilities on Fourth Street, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The intersection at Fourth Street Northwest and 13th Avenue Northwest will be closed through early June while crews replace the water mains and storm sewer in that section of the road. Motorists will be able to reach the businesses via the eastbound Interstate 90 off-ramp and return using the I-90 eastbound on-ramp. 

Scooters Coffee, Hardee’s, Burger King and Kwik Trip will all be affected by the closer.

When the intersection reopens in early June, the I-90 traffic ramps will close. Vehicles will reach the businesses using a temporary road on the east side of Fourth Street during the remainder of the work, which includes replacement of the concrete road and entrances to the businesses. Work is expected to be completed in mid-July on Fourth Street.