Minnesota has two seasons: winter and road construction. With the close of deer hunting this weekend, the end of our road construction season will be fast in pursuit. That means those highways that are "messed up" are going to stay that way until the next road construction season next spring.
The last two years I spent on the Minneapolis side of town were the years when Highway 100 and County Road 81 were being reconfigured. What had been two or three lanes was shut down to one during only a few days of the construction. Occasionally exit ramps were eliminated for a few days. The entire highway was closed for a few hours during the night while huge bridge sections were installed.
Now I'm on the St. Paul side of town and don't you know, road construction has followed me! Now Highways 35E and 694 are being reconfigured in the northeast quadrant of town. Once again temporary lanes are created so traffic can shift, but continue to drive. Many of these lanes later become shoulders or exit and entrance ramps so the construction of those temporary roadways are not wasted.
The tangle town of lane changes and shifts of traffic are a wonder. I am constantly impressed by the engineers' creativity in continuing to move traffic despite horrendous road conditions. Roads are closed for very minimal times when bridges are installed. Occasionally exit ramps have been eliminated for a time. Overall, this nightmare of spaghetti junction has inconvenienced the traffic very little. I am impressed and salute the people who have to design the alternate routes to move traffic and keep the workers safe!
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