MnDOT Hosts Open House On Highway 210 Project

Motorists traveling between Brainerd and Crosby this summer will have to plan extra time for their commute as a major road construction project on Highway 210 is set to begin in July. The Minnesota Department of Transportation held an open house this week to detail the project and to answer questions from area residents.

“Leave in plenty of time for work because you got a long detour,” said area resident Judy Robinson who attended the open house on Tuesday.

11 miles of Highway 210, the main roadway that connects Brainerd area cities with the Cuyuna Range, will be completely reconstructed.

“We’re going to be reconstructing the road here between Brainerd and Ironton. We will be working on this east end towards Ironton for the first half of the project,” said MnDOT Project Manager Matt Indihar.

The project will reconstruct the road surface, replace and/or repair pipes, and improve access on Highway 210 from the end of the four-lane in Brainerd to Ironton.

“Just essentially reclaiming the existing pavements, grinding down into the base, getting a more longer term pavement fix,” explained Project Manager Luke Wehseler. “So a 20, 30-year fix type of thing.”

The 11-mile stretch will be blocked off from traffic starting July 8 through early October. Motorists traveling from Brainerd to Crosby will be detoured on Highway 18 to Highway 6, and then around Deerwood.

“The detour is kind of a long detour,” added Indihar. “But it’s going to be your best option.”

The project will also add a temporary mini roundabout in Deerwood at the east intersection of Highway 6 and Highway 210.

“This mini roundabout is going to be a temporary roundabout just to try it out at this intersection, and it will be able to queue vehicles out of this intersection a lot faster,” Wehseler said.

Though local residents are not exactly excited about the detour, many agree that the project is needed.

“I’m happy they’re changing the Deerwood shortcut. There’s been a lot of fatalities there,” added Robinson. “It’s going to be a long summer, but that’s going to help.”

The detour is set to start on July 8 and construction is slated to be completed sometime during the month of October, weather permitting.