News Release

Bemidji, Mn. - A construction project to relieve congestion and improve the condition and safety of State Highway 34 in Park Rapids is scheduled to get underway on May 14th, according to Larry Randall, Project Supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The $11.25 million project awarded to Central Specialties Inc. of Alexandria, will take two construction seasons to complete.

The first phase of the project at the intersection of Highway 34 and State Highway 71 is tentatively scheduled to begin on May 14th and will require a detour onto city streets. This portion of the project with the detour is expected to be complete in twelve calendar days with the remaining work done under traffic. Randall said preparation work already began today on Western Avenue South for the installation of the city sanitary sewer and water. Actual installation work is tentatively scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 2nd.

Public information meetings are planned throughout the course of the project and interested individuals are encouraged to attend. The first meeting with the contractor will be held on Monday, April 30th, at 10:00 AM at the Frank White Education Center, 301 Huntsinger Avenue in Park Rapids. The contractor will provide information related to project schedules and anticipated traffic impacts. The dates and locations of subsequent meetings will be announced later.

For information on road construction and conditions around the state, call 511 or log into www.511mn.org.