Residents and business owners wanting to learn about repairs and improvements the Minnesota Department of Transportation is making with projects on U.S. Highway 2 and U.S. Highway 197/Bemidji Avenue in Bemidji can do so at an open house on April 27.

The U.S. Highway 2 bypass project includes resurfacing and bridge repairs and is scheduled to being May 15 if the weather permits.

Most of the project will be done under traffic and in stages. Staged detours are required for crews to repair two bridges located on the northern part of the bypass.

Stage one: Highway 71 southbound bridge connection to the bypass. Detour south on Highway 197/Bemidji Avenue through Bemidji.

Stage two: Highway 2 northbound bridge connection to westbound Highway 2. Detour onto Highway 71 exit, then west onto Highway 2.

The open house will be held at the Tourist Information Center from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., near the Paul and Babe statues on the shore of Lake Bemidji, 300 Bemidji Avenue North.

Resurfacing on U.S. Highway 197/Bemidji Avenue, from Third Street NW to Seventh Street SE, is tentatively schedule to begin July 10. The project will be done under traffic and motorists can expect lane closures and delays during peak travel times.

For more details visit the project websites, www.mndot.gov/d2/projects/bemidji-hwy2and197. Both projects are expected to wrap up in September.

By — Haydee Clotter