I-90 Exit Ramp to Southbound Highway 52 Now Closed Into November

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The massive project upgrading the I-90 and Highway 52 interchange just south of Rochester is now having a significant impact on motorists.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation says travelers will encounter off-ramp closures from I-90 to Highway 52 southbound through November.

The closures mean motorists traveling east or west on I-90 wishing to get on southbound Highway 52 will need to use Exit 218 and then travel north on Highway 52 before exiting at 50th Avenue, where they will be able to turn left and enter southbound Highway 52. I-90 motorists can also take Exit 224 near Eyota and go south on Olmsted County Road 7 to access Highway 52 north of Chatfield.

MnDOT says travelers on I-90 will still be able to exit to northbound Highway 52

A news release says additional traffic impacts are expected next month while a culvert is installed under Highway 52 at the I-90 interchange. That project, which is expected to only take a few days to complete, will require a detour. MnDOT hasn't yet identified the exact date when the work will begin and says the schedule will be communicated as soon as it is determined.

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The culvert replacement detour will send motorists traveling north on Highway 52 onto County Road 7 before they exit to westbound I-90, and then take the Highway 52 exit to turn north on Highway 52. Southbound traffic on Highway 52 will be directed south on Highway 63 to the I-90 interchange and then travel east on the freeway and take the Highway 52 exit to southbound Highway 52.

The more than $28 million project got underway last week and will involve replacing the I-90 bridges over Highway 52 and constructing a new ramp for traffic heading south on Highway 52 seeking to enter eastbound I-90. The overall project is expected to take three years to complete.