Completion of New SE Rochester Roundabout Delayed Until Next Year

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A road construction project that has significantly impacted traffic in southeast Rochester will not be completed as planned this fall.

Construction began in August on a new roundabout at 4th Street and 19th Avenue Southeast, near Olmsted Medical Center Hospital and the RCTC Heintz Center. The busy intersection has been closed to traffic since the project began, with a detour directing motorists from 15th Avenue Southeast to Highway 14 and then to East Circle Drive before reconnecting to 4th Street or College View Road.

$3.6 Million Project Near OMC and RCTC Faces New Delay

According to City of Rochester documents, the $3.6 million project was first proposed in 2019 but was delayed due to right-of-way acquisition issues. The documents indicate the roundabout project was rescheduled for 2022 but was put on hold again until the steam line from the Olmsted County Waste-to-Energy Facility could be decommissioned.

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The project also includes reconstruction of the sanitary sewer and storm sewer infrastructure at the intersection. Rochester Public Works staff say “unanticipated soil conditions challenged some of the utility installation this summer and delayed the project.”

Temporary Pavement Planned to Reopen Road for Winter

It was expected that the entire project would be completed later this month, but city staff say the delays mean work on the new intersection will have to resume in the spring. Current plans call for the installation of temporary pavement to allow the intersection to reopen over the winter months until it is closed again in the spring when construction resumes.

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