Highway 18 Bridge Replacement Near Malmo To Be Postponed

The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that due to unforeseen delays, the Highway 18 bridge replacement project between Glen and Malmo will be postponed until mid-summer of 2020.

According to a release, the project is being delayed due to unforeseen delays on a nearby bridge project taking place on Highway 47. The project has encountered heavy rainfall in addition to soil stability issues below the road’s structure. Once the corrective fix has been issued, crews will pave Highway 47. The detour is expected to remain in place through mid-October.

Here’s what to expect:

–    Until mid-October: Highway 47 will be closed north of Malmo to replace the Morman Creek bridge with two box culverts. The detour uses Highway 18 between Malmo and Garrison along northern Mille Lacs Lake, Highway 169 to Aitkin County Road 28, and County Road 12 to Highway 47 in Glen.

–    Summer 2020: Highway 18 will close west of Malmo along northern Mille Lacs Lake at Malmo Bay to replace the Morman Creek bridge with a new box culvert. The detour will use Highway 47 between Malmo and Glen, Aitkin County Road 12 to County Road 28, and Highway 169 to Highway 18 along northern Mille Lacs Lake to Malmo.

When complete, the new bridges will improve drainage in the Malmo area.