Highway 57 construction phase two begins in Kasson

(ABC 6 News) – Bruce Houston is the owner of Houston’s Greenhouse and Gifts. The business sits right along highway 57. Houston dealt with the first phase of the project – and now he’s dealing with it all over again for phase two.

“We are just going to have to live through it like we did last fall,” said Houston.

But he still has concerns. The second phase stretches from just north of 1st St. down south of County Road 34.And includes two new roundabouts. One at the intersection of 34 and another at Main Street. A third roundabout is going in as part of a city project near the high school.

Houston’s business is right in the middle. “Well, it could be detrimental big time It’s not signed real well right now. So, we are trying to work with MnDOT to get better signage so people can get here,” said Houston.

Both projects mean detours off highway 57. Mike Dougherty with MnDOT says they are trying to keep the impact to businesses as minimal as possible.

“They’re open and they want to be able to connect with you as well. So if you have any questions on how you get there, contact that business directly,” said Dougherty.

This second phase also includes replacing uneven sidewalks and making safer and easier to use.

“And that’s not just for someone in a wheelchair. That’s anybody if you think about our grandparents or someone just has a hard time walking. It smooths those out,” said Dougherty.

Back at the greenhouse Houston is keeping his sights on the end product and improvements. But after two seasons of construction, he’s ready for the road work to get wrapped up.

“It’s going to be nice once it’s done,” said Houston.

Construction is expected to be done by August.