Hastings bridge drivers learn about construction plans
More than 130 people attended an open house in Hastings Wednesday to learn more about plans to redirect traffic during maintenance work on the Highway 61 Bridge across the Mississippi River.
The bridge will be reduced to one lane beginning in early May for the repair work. MnDOT spokesman Kent Barnard said the single lane will have alternating traffic for about three months.
"There is going to be inconvenience to people and we have done some traffic modeling to see how far we might actually get traffic back-ups," said Barnard. "Worse-case scenario could be as far south as 15th street in the city of Hastings or as far north as Highway 10."
MnDOT is suggesting alternate routes to help drivers avoid the bridge and any potential traffic tie-ups.
Thirty-two thousand cars cross the bridge every day.
Some Hastings business owners are worried that their customers could be deterred by the detours and delays.
MN-Dot will hold another open house in neighboring Prescott, Wisconsin, next week.
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