Highway 7

After seven months of finding alternate routes to State Highway 7, the wait for drivers traveling between Hutchinson, St. Bonifacius and all points between will soon be over. Highway 7, which was closed April 21 for a $13.3 million reconstruction project, is slated to reopen Saturday, Nov. 15.

Some drivers have opted not to wait for the reopening, assuming that if they can fit their vehicles past “Road Closed” signs, they’re in the clear. Not so, according to Kelly Brunkhorst, project engineer for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Work on the State Highway 7 reconstruction project east of Silver Lake is on schedule. “We’re definitely on track for opening Nov. 15,” said Kelly Brunkhorst, project engineer for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

All asphalt paving is expected to be done by Wednesday, Nov. 5. Sign installation is also scheduled for completion this week. Crews still have to paint stripes, add rumble strips and replace topsoil and re-seed on the in-slopes of ditches.

Motorists will encounter a detour change on Highway 7 in Montevideo Monday, Oct. 27, when crews begin the final phase of reconstruction from the west junction of Chippewa County Road 15 to east of junction of Chippewa County Road 15.

Motorists will be detoured south on Chippewa County Road 7, southwest on Chippewa County Road 16 and northwest on Highway 212. Highway 29 will no longer be detoured.

Progress on a $13.3 million State Highway 7 reconstruction project is mostly on schedule, according to Kelly Brunkhorst, project engineer for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The highway between Silver Lake and St. Bonifacius was closed in April, and is scheduled to reopen completely in November. It’ll feature a smooth new surface, added turn lanes and passing lanes and two roundabouts near Mayer.

Beginning April 14, all of State Highway 7 from Silver Lake to St. Bonifacius will be closed for a $13.3 million reconstruction project.

Don’t panic.

The detour between the Hutchinson area and the Twin Cities will only be nine miles longer than the current direct route, according to state Department of Transportation regional engineer Dave Johnston. That’s a fact that even surprised him.

The entire project should be done by Nov. 15, although portions of Highway 7 nearer the metro will open earlier as construction there is finished.

A lot of ideas have been put forth for possible future development at Hutchinson’s Main Street and Bluff Street intersections with State Highway 7.

More than 40 people attended an open house last Thursday to view and offer opinions on plans for redevelopment and zoning changes along the State Highway 7 corridor through Hutchinson.