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The Minnesota Department of Transportation is splitting up its Austin bridge replacements project by constructing the 28th Street NE bridge in 2021, as planned, and deferring for one year the Highway 218/14th Street Northwest construction to allow for additional design work.

In a press release Tuesday, MnDOT explained the one-year delay on the Hwy 218/14th St. NW construction will allow additional design options to be explored, which may be beneficial to the taxpayers and traveling public.

MnDOT recognizes that maintaining traffic during construction is a high priority to the community and will be key to additional design investigation.

Overall construction duration will also be considered as well the reduction of construction impacts at Highway 218/14th Street and the optimization of the geometry of the new bridge and ramp intersections based on needs, costs, impacts, and construction requirements.

Meanwhile, plans will continue to replace the 28th Street Northeast over Interstate 90 in Austin in 2021. This reconstruction is part of a larger planning effort to update aging community infrastructure over the next decade, including other bridges in Austin’s I-90 corridor.

Additional time is for further design investigation, and is not related to COVID-19 or project funding.

To learn more about the project or sign up for email updates, go to MnDOT’s construction project website or Facebook.