MnDOT prepares drivers as Hwy. 10 roadwork returns to Anoka

It could be another trying summer for drivers in Anoka as the Minnesota Department of Transportation resumes the massive rebuild of Hwy. 10.

Construction could start as early as March if the weather cooperates, said agency spokesman Kent Barnard. And after the second half of the $98 million project gets underway, drivers, like last year, can expect six months of traffic backups as the highway is squeezed to one lane in each direction for more than 2 miles between 7th and Thurston avenues.

"Hang in there, Anoka," Barnard said. "It will all be worth it."

MnDOT will host a drop-in open house from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Green Haven Golf and Banquet Center, 2800 Greenhaven Road, to share what's on this year's to-do list.

The biggest disruption this year may be at the Hwy. 10/47/169 interchange, also known as Ferry Street. Crews will replace the overpass with a new bridge featuring a single traffic light to control all left turns, reduce conflict points and give motorists green lights more often, Barnard said. Motorists will not be able to cross Hwy. 10 during the closure, but ramps to and from Ferry Street will stay open most of the time, he said.

This year's work also will include building new eastbound Hwy. 10 bridges over the Rum River and Fairoak Avenue — westbound bridges were rebuilt last year — and a new westbound bridge over Thurston Avenue. Crews also will add auxiliary lanes on Hwy. 10 between Ferry Street and 7th Avenue to make it easier for motorists to get on and off the highway.

MnDOT plans to realign frontage roads on both sides of the highway, complete six noise walls and build new sidewalks and trail connections for pedestrians and bicyclists, Barnard said.

Slow down, too, Barnard added. Drivers coming off eastbound Hwy. 10 at W. Main Street this winter have been traveling too fast and been surprised by a roundabout at the bottom of the ramp. One driver recently crashed, Barnard said.

"It might be the first roundabout in Anoka," Barnard said. "We may need a flashing light to draw attention to it."

Traffic signals at Fairoak and Thurston avenues have long contributed to bottlenecks for the 60,000 to 69,000 vehicles passing through Anoka each day. When the project largely wraps up in the fall and lights are removed, the highway will operate much like a freeway.