Highway 52 Construction Update: Detour Ends Soon In Rochester

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has announced an end date for a detour near Rochester that has been in place for multiple months.

Traffic has been diverted since April to accommodate work on a massive project to transform the Hwy. 52/Interstate 90 interchange southeast of Rochester.

Crews are putting the finishing touches on the second year of the three-year, $27.5 million project.

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Hwy. 52 South of I-90 Interchange Set to Reopen by Nov. 14

MnDOT announced that the Hwy. 52 closure south of the Interstate 90 eastbound onramp is expected to end by Friday, Nov. 14.

Construction crews will spend the week installing signs and smoothing out newly placed gravel along the shoulders of the highway. Repaving and striping work on the highway at the interchange has been completed, MnDOT says.

Southbound Hwy. 52 motorists seeking eastbound I-90 will continue using the new onramp, which is south of the newly built flyover ramp.

MnDOT District 6 via X

Hwy. 52 traffic south of the interchange has been detoured to I-90 and Olmsted County Rd. 7 before reconnecting with the highway north of Chatfield.

Access to eastbound I-90 from southbound Hwy. 52 has remained available throughout the more than seven-month detour.

With the exception of short-term closures, Hwy. 52 will remain open throughout the remainder of the project, MnDOT says.

MnDOT District 6 via X

Work on demolishing the old onramp to eastbound I-90 remains ongoing. Construction crews will remain at the interchange into December to prepare for the Winter slowdown and the next stages of construction, officials say.

The third and final season of work on the project is scheduled to begin next April. Crews will replace the I-90 westbound overpass and begin work on the ramps connecting westbound I-90 and Hwy. 52 on the northeastern side of the interchange.