A Reminder From MNDOT: Drive Carefully This Weekend

Drive carefully this weekend. The Memorial day weekend may be the kickoff to summer, but it also means there are highway workers and construction zones all over. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is urging you to use extra caution this weekend.

Plan ahead, think about alternate routes or go to

to get advance information about road construction and detours.

Highway projects in southeastern Minnesota that might affect your weekend travel on May 24-26 include the following:

 Interstate 35 through Owatonna, which is undergoing construction and can experience slowdowns and delays through the corridor.

 Interstate 90 in Winona County, where an 8-mile pavement project directs vehicles into single lane traffic each way from between Highway 76 and exit 266 at Nodine.

 I-90 at the Dresbach Bridge in Winona County

 Highway 63 from Stewartville south to Highway 16. Traffic is diverted onto a detour

 Highway 52 north of Zumbrota near Goodhue County Road 9, where an interchange is being constructed.

Memorial Day weekend is traditionally one of the deadliest on Minnesota roads during the spring and summer months. Safe driving during the long weekend ranks as a paramount concern for the departments of Transportation and Public Safety and law enforcement agencies statewide.

MnDOT reminds motorists to follow these guidelines when entering and driving through work zones:

 Stay alert, especially at night.

 Obey posted speed limits. Fines may double for violations in work zones.

 Expect work zones to constantly change. Day to day, you could experience lane shifts, closures or moving workers and vehicles.

 Never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.

 Don’t make unnecessary lane changes.

 Stay off cell phones and mobile devices.

 Be patient. Expect delays, especially during peak travel times.

 Move over one lane, if possible, or reduce speed for stopped emergency or maintenance vehicles, including ambulance, fire, law enforcement or maintenance and construction vehicles.