News Release

BEMIDJI, Minn. - The detour route to accommodate reconstruction of a portion of Highway 197 in the city of Bemidji has been moved from 2nd Street to 5th Street following the completion of Phase 1 of the project effective immediately, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said today.

Traffic is now permitted to proceed north to 5th Street then west to Irvine Avenue which is the official detour route. However, traffic traveling south on Irvine Avenue will not be permitted to turn left on to 5th Street and will need to continue following the southbound detour on Irvine Avenue. Restricting left turning traffic on to 5th Street at this intersection will allow larger vehicles to make the right turn on to Irvine Avenue.

Parking on Irvine Avenue continues to be prohibited for the duration of the project.

Weekly project updates can be found at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d2/construction197.html.

For information on statewide road conditions and construction, visit www.511mn.org or call 511