Motorists traveling through the Highway 61 and 80th Street area will encounter a new traffic configuration as Stage 3A of the ongoing road construction project gets underway.
The City of Cottage Grove announced that implementation of Stage 3A was scheduled to begin Thursday, Aug. 6, bringing changes to the Highway 61 ramps as well as traffic patterns along 80th Street and East Point Douglas Road.
As part of the transition, the southern Highway 61 ramps providing access to and from Hastings are scheduled to close at 9 a.m. Thursday. The northern ramps, providing Highway 61 access to and from St. Paul, will open at approximately 3 p.m.
All of the northern and southern Highway 61 ramps are scheduled to be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. while crews reconfigured temporary traffic signals at the intersection of the ramps and 80th Street.
Stage 3A also changes how motorists travel along 80th Street.
Traffic between Hadley Avenue and Ideal Avenue is being shifted to the north side of the roadway. Two-way traffic will continue to be maintained on 80th Street between Hadley Avenue and Hardwood Avenue.
Between Hardwood and Ideal avenues, however, traffic will remain restricted to eastbound travel only.
Changes are also being made on East Point Douglas Road south of 80th Street. Traffic there is being shifted to the west side of the roadway, although two-way traffic will continue to be maintained.
The city cautioned motorists that the transition to the new configuration could result in additional temporary disruptions. Short-duration lane closures or flagging operations may occur while the contractor moves traffic into the Stage 3A configuration.
Drivers traveling through the construction area should allow additional time and watch for workers, temporary signs, lane changes and traffic-control devices as work progresses.
The traffic changes are the latest stage of construction affecting the busy 80th Street and Highway 61 corridor. Temporary configurations are being used to maintain access through the area while allowing construction crews to complete work in different portions of the roadway.
Once the Stage 3A transition is complete, the northern Highway 61 ramps will provide access for motorists traveling to and from the direction of St. Paul, while the southern ramps toward Hastings will remain closed as construction proceeds.
The city thanked motorists for their patience during implementation of the new traffic pattern and encouraged residents and commuters to follow construction updates for information about future changes.
Additional project information and an option to sign up for construction updates are available through the City of Cottage Grove's project information page.