A detour on Highway 71 south of Bemidji is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 3.

According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, motorists traveling on Highway 71 south of Bemidji can expect a detour as crews begin work at the Kabekona River replacing a box culvert.

Motorists will be detoured onto Hubbard County Roads 36 and 16. The $388,000 project will improve drainage for Highway 71 and is expected to last through the month of June.

“It’s just one of those things; it’s going to take just a few weeks to replace the culverts. You have to dig up the entire length of of the road or the entire width of the road so you’re just not able to drive through it. It’s very small, it’s a localized project, but with that detour you just got to get around it,” MnDOT Public Engagement Coordinator TJ Melcher said.

By — Rachel Johnson

Lakeland News Lead Reporter