MnDOT reveals I-90 bridge reconstruction plans

(ABC 6 News) – Tuesday, MnDOT unveiled its plans to upgrade bridges in Austin along Interstate 90 and its a project that was a long time coming.

Six bridges will be getting a makeover as part of construction plans starting in 2024 to make them more accessible to the public.

“Oh we’re looking forward to the completion out by 21st St, because that bridge will be wider then and have walkways, it’s pretty touchy to walk across that bridge or ride a bike across it the way it is now, so that’ll be a nice change,” said Jay Lutz.

Other changes include the addition of a roundabout on the 14th St NW exit and a single point interchange on the 4th St NW exit.

“The entire interchange is controlled by one signal light, so that’ll be something new for Austin, and we’ll incorporate all these different designs into the overall project,” explained Austin City Engineer Steven Lang.

This was something that has been talked about in the past decade, but the city of Austin is excited to finally begin.

“It’s a significant project in the community, these bridges will be here for 75 years. So, it’s a part of Austin’s history, not only its past but bridging it into the future,” MnDOT Spokesperson Mike Dougherty said.

There was some concern about how the traffic will be once construction is underway, but there is some optimism that it shouldn’t be much of a problem.

“We have a lot of exits and entrances into our community, which is a great thing during a project like this. One particular interchange is closed, we’ll make sure that other ones are open,” Lang said.

Construction is set to begin in 2024 starting with the bridge off of Oakland Avenue.

Dougherty said that the whole project is estimated to cost around 50 to 60 million dollars and hopes the project will be completed in 2026.

For more information on the I-90 bridge reconstruction project, visit HERE,