Highway 7 to reopen

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.

“The road is still closed and there is actually law enforcement out there today,” she said.

Two tasks remain undone before the highway can reopen: shoulder work and striping. “Basically, they’re putting gravel against the bituminous edge there so there’s no dropoff,” Brunkhorst said. “The big one, though, is the striping, because you can’t stripe on wet pavement.”

Brunkhorst said the forecast for Thursday looked promising, and one dry day is all the time that’s needed to complete the striping.

Final cost figures aren’t in, but Brunkhorst the project is mostly on budget. Adding a turn lane on County Road 2, on the east end of Silver Lake, was not part of the original scope. The addition raised the total project cost, but Brunkhorst said, “The project as a whole is real close to budget.”

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)