Road construction plans firm up

The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced more than 200 construction projects for the 2021 construction season. Northeastern Minnesota will have little disruption to traffic flows save for the behemoth project on Interstate 35 in Duluth that has already restricted traffic to one lane in each direction just west of downtown.

Here's a rundown of MnDOT- led projects in Carlton County and region known as District 1:

• The significant work on the Twin Ports Interchange, known by its nickname of "Can of Worms," will enhance safety on the interstate by eliminating blind merges and left exits, replacing aging infrastructure, and improving freight mobility. This is a multi-year project.

• Major reconstruction projects will take place in Biwabik, Gilbert, Grand Marais and International Falls.

• Minnesota Highway 73 will be resurfaced from Moose Lake to Kettle River.

• A cable median safety barrier will be installed on I-35 from Beroun to Scanlon.

• A fiber optic cable will be installed along I-35 from Minnesota Highway 33 in Cloquet to Thompson Hill Visitor Center in Proctor.

County work

There are also a handful of County State Aid Highway projects planned, including:

• CSAH 7: Also known as Big Lake Road west of Cloquet, Highway 7 meets Big Lake, then snakes down to Mahtowa and Highway 4. The 17-mile project will consist of a full reclamation of the roadway, bituminous surfacing, shoulders and pavement markings. The work is scheduled to start in mid-May and last through late July. Drivers will encounter flag people and a gravel driving surface during construction. There will be some minimal delays.

• CSAH 3: A half-mile of reconstructing 14th Street in Cloquet, from Prospect Avenue to Cloquet Avenue, will consist of grading, surfacing, utilities installation, and sidewalk and trail construction. The project is scheduled to start in June and is a two-year project. There will be access for local traffic, and other traffic should find an alternate route.

• CSAH 5: Just more than a half-mile of University Road west of Cloquet will receive milling and overlay work. The late-July project begins at Cartwright Road and ends at Big Lake Road. Drivers will encounter flag people and will have some minimal delays during construction.

• CSAH 8: There will be a culvert installation on Highway 8, or Mud Creek Road, between Birch Road and Highway 11. The road will be closed for a few weeks sometime between June 1 and Sept. 15. The exact work schedule is still being worked out.

• A trail project in Moose Lake isn't expected to affect traffic. The Safe Routes to School project will be constructed in late summer and early fall. The trail begins in front of the Moose Lake school at the intersection with Maple Leaf Lane and follows Highway 10 to the intersection of Minnesota Highway 73. The project then goes north along 73 to the intersection with Highway 61.