Changing lanes

Construction continues on the Highway 371 bypass, and intersecting roads are undergoing changes in preparation of the new bypass.

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Monday the Minnesota Department of Transportation will be closing one lane of southbound traffic on Highway 371 North to install temporary signal lights at Highway 371 and Excelsior Road.

Jody Martinson, the bypass project engineer at MnDOT, said the southbound interior lane through that intersection will be shut down for about five days. She said Friday afternoon motorists can expect the lane to be reopened.

MnDOT is asking drivers to be alert when driving around the bypass construction as lane shifts are expected for the bulk of the summer season.

Here are other details about the bypass:

-- The project is expected to be completed by fall.

-- The cost of the project is about $12.5 million.

-- The Highway 371 North and Highway 210 intersection will be shifted about 150 feet to the west to allow for a straighter path to the bypass.

-- There will be three stop lights added on the bypass -- one at College Drive, one at County State Aid Highway 48 and one on the bypass close to the intersection with Highway 371 running south to Little Falls. Stop lights on Highway 371 at the intersections of Highway 210 and Excelsior road will be moved with the shift.

-- MnDOT is still negotiating with the city of Brainerd for the design of the interchange between the bypass and Highway 371 South.