Businesses and residents woke up with surprise the morning of July 5 when barricades were placed at intersections all along Highway 13 south of Lexington Avenue.
Information given at the open house on June 26 was that this portion of the highway was to remain open until September 1, which people took to mean that they would be able to conduct business as usual. Adrian Anderson, Construction Supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), said, "Residents can still get to and from businesses and homes and still go through there, they will just have to stop at the intersections marked. Perhaps the message wasn't clear enough at the town meeting."
Anderson said that they have agreements with the county and the city to make sure that the detour is posted for the entirety of the construction so it doesn't put stress on roads not capable of handling the traffic, which is why the signs are up now and for the remainder of the project. "I will talk with our traffic people and see if there is some way we can make that corridor a little more friendly for people going through. There will be occasional small changes as different contractors may need access blocked to certain areas but, in general, you should be able to get to businesses and houses on that stretch," Anderson said.
Highway 13 construction barricades cause alarm for residents and businesses in Montgomery
