TH 41 Intersection Improvements - Asphalt Detour
Project Overview
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) and Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) are working with Union Pacific railroad (UP) to make railroad crossing safety improvements and roadway repairs to Hwy 41 (Chestnut Blvd.) in Scott County this summer. The tribe is currently building a new organics recycling facility, Dakota Prairie Composting, near the intersection of highways 169 and 41 in Louisville Township.
This construction work will add bypass and turn lanes and install rail crossing safety improvements, which will ease congestion and improve road safety.
To complete this work, a 0.3-mile stretch of Hwy 41 from the UP railroad crossing to Dem Con Drive will be closed to thru traffic for approximately five weeks starting July 5. The road will reopen before the start of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival on August 16. The closure is required to complete concrete highway and railroad crossing repairs that can’t be completed while the road is open to traffic. Unfortunately, these repairs could not be completed last summer during the Hwy 41 closure in Chaska because it would have completely blocked commercial business access located south of the Minnesota River bridge.
The work will result in a closure of the Hwy 41 Minnesota River bridge crossing. The detour will include Hwy 169, Co. Rd. 69, the Hwy 101 river crossing and Co. Rd. 61. Access to the Martin Marietta Asphalt Plant and SMSC Dakota Prairie Compost project site will be maintained during construction.
Project Gallery
Project FAQ
- Why is a closure needed?
The concrete highway and railroad crossing repairs cannot be completed while the road is open to traffic. This work requires the temporary closure of the 0.3-mile stretch of TH 41 between the UP railroad and Dem Con Drive. The closure will start July 5 and last approximately five weeks.
- Is this project the same as the TH 41 downtown Chaska project?
The TH 41 downtown project is not the same as this one despite the same corridor being closed. The City of Chaska led that downtown project, while this project is being led by SMSC.
- How come this project wasn’t completed during last year’s closure of TH 41 for the downtown Chaska project?
The SMSC and MnDOT pursued that possibility to take advantage of the closure. Unfortunately, due to the Martin Marietta Asphalt Plant and the SMSC composting facility sites being north of the UP railway crossing, they would have been landlocked and not accessible during the TH 41 river bridge portion of the staging. This would impact business and would not provide adequate public safety access.
- Why can’t this project be constructed at another time?
Minnesota’s roadway construction projects are typically limited to the months of March-November due to our freezing winters. There were several factors that impacted the project timing. This intersection is utilized by the Minnesota Renaissance Festival which has a large traffic demand. Closing this intersection during their operations would be detrimental to TH 169 and create unsafe conditions of stopped traffic onto a high-speed roadway. This project also needs to work around Martin Marietta Asphalt Operations. In addition, Scott County has a roundabout project at the intersection of CSAH 78/69, just west along this TH 41 corridor, that will be closed to traffic. Aligning this construction schedule with that project seemed beneficial since East-West traffic will already be detoured onto TH 169. We also wanted to have these improvements made before the fall, when the tribe’s Dakota Prairie Composting facility is expected to open.
- Will the UP railway crossing be replaced?
MnDOT maintenance has had a scheduled project with UP to replace the existing surface crossing panels from last year. MnDOT has a history of vehicle incidents involving the crossing of this railway because of the rough condition it is in. Because this project would require the closure of TH 41 as well, it was a joint decision to combine these two projects into one to limit the inconvenience to the public. UP railway will be replacing new panels and the existing signal.
- What other routes should I take?
See the maps listed in the project gallery above for the signed and local routes. Access to the Martin Marietta Asphalt Plant and SMSC Dakota Prairie Composting project site will be maintained during construction.
- How can I get updates and stay informed during construction?
This webpage will be updated regularly on the contractor’s progress and provide exact closure and opening dates. MnDOT also will have information on their 511 website.
You can also contact Mark Olson at MnDOT or Steve Albrecht at the SMSC directly.
