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Des Moines County schedules two full bridge closures, warns extended Minneapolis Road work this spring and summer
Summary
The county's secondary roads superintendent told the Board of Supervisors that two full bridge closures will begin next week and that major work on Minneapolis Road may limit access through much of the spring and summer; closures are expected to last several months and signed detours will be posted.
Des Moines County officials announced two full bridge closures that will begin early next week and warned residents of major, multi-month work on Minneapolis Road that may close that route for much of the spring and summer.
The county's secondary roads superintendent, referred to in the meeting as "Mister Carter," told the board the North Gear Bridge and a bridge on Danville Road will close fully beginning the projected Monday start. Contractors have committed full crews and the county will post signed detours; Carter said the detours will be the most direct available and special signage will allow trucks to cross certain bottlenecks.
Carter said county staff expect each closure to last in the vicinity of five months. He explained why the county is not staging half-bridge work to keep a lane open: partially removing a compromised bridge can remove structural continuity, significantly increase costs and nearly double the project schedule. "We just rip the Band-Aid off," he said, noting a single-lane alternative could stretch to eight to ten months.
Carter also described anticipated work tied to the state Department of Transportation (DOT) on the bypass/interchange area. He said contractors will replace a large-diameter tile in the Minneapolis Road ditch with plastic to extend service life under future pavement, and that Minneapolis Road from Highway 61 to the interchange will be widened and repaved with concrete. There may be one-lane conditions in the coming weeks and a more substantial closure through the spring and summer; Carter said the DOT must reopen the roadway by a fall date (he estimated late September or early October) so it is usable for harvest.
County staff said they mailed letters to adjacent landowners and broader area property owners to notify them of closures and will issue a press release when specific timing is confirmed. Carter said contractors for both bridges plan to keep crews dedicated to each project rather than moving a single crew between sites.
The board also heard that pre-construction meetings for county asphalt projects are upcoming and that patching is typical this time of year; Carter said he will provide timing when known. He added the county is continuing work on a bridge grant related to one of the projects and that an agenda item later in the meeting addressed that grant paperwork.
Ending: County staff asked residents in affected areas to prepare for detours and intermittent lane reductions and said the county would publish press releases when firm dates and detour maps are available.
