I-90 exit ramp closure at Luverne may wait until August

Luverne businesses are looking forward to a normal business cycle this summer after pandemic closures squelched profits.
However, I-90 road construction could present yet another setback, especially if plans go according to initial announcements.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced on May 26 that the westbound lanes of I-90 will be resurfaced from Luverne 13 miles to the west.
Westbound traffic will be shifted to the eastbound lanes, reducing travel to a “head-to-head” two-way roadway between Luverne and Highway 23.
The initial announcement stated that “Highway 75 exit and entrance ramps will be closed during construction and traffic will be detoured to Rock County Roads 3 and 4.”
This prompted a flurry of communication among local leaders about the potential of no I-90 access this summer — and no tourism business entering Luverne from the interstate.
Several hours later a corrected announcement stated that the Highway 75 westbound exit and entrance ramps will be closed during construction.
While this alleviated some concern, local leaders were still concerned about the potential hit of no westbound travelers entering Luverne from I-90 this summer.
Mayor Pat Baustian contacted the MNDOT District 7 supervisors to suggest intermittent ramp closures, rather than closing the westbound ramps for the entire duration of the project.
Baustian said MNDOT indicated it will pursue a change order with the contractor to delay the Luverne ramp closure until August.
This will allow work to wrap up on the Adrian exit currently underway.
Construction will start Monday, June 7, a month earlier than originally scheduled. It will also affect the westbound ramps at Beaver Creek on County Road 6.
Construction on the 13 miles of I-90 is expected to be complete in early September and includes resurfacing the existing westbound pavement and bridge repairs.
PCiRoads, LLC. was awarded the project with a bid of $4,844,421.70.