Short-term closure planned for Morrison County Road 48

Beginning Tuesday, the first of two short-term closures of Morrison County Road 48 will get under way as crews begin hauling grading material to construct the roadway for the four-lane expansion of Highway 371, the Minnesota Department of Transportation reported.

Weather permitting, Morrison County Road 48 will reopen to traffic May 19.

Once the initial work is complete, the roadway will remain open until after Memorial Day weekend when it will close again to allow crews to replace a box culvert, said Paul Koenig, MnDOT project supervisor.

The second closure, which is expected to last two to three weeks during the first half of June, is necessary for crews to replace the box culvert and place the gravel base and blacktop pavement surface on the north end of the new Highway 371, crossing Morrison County Road 48. During the work, MnDOT advises residents along Morrison County Road 48 to use alternate routes.

As work on the $15.8 million highway safety improvement project progresses, motorists are reminded to be alert for trucks hauling and intermittent lane shifts. Weather permitting, traffic will be open on the new Highway 371 alignment by late October.

For updated statewide traffic, construction, weather and travel information visit www.511mn.org.