Iron Range

Two yearling moose have become frequent visitors to the ditches of Highway 37 near the Cherry School;  The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is advising motorists to use caution in the area to avoid an accident.

Good news:  Saint Louis County is expected to invest $119 million dollars on roads and bridges in 2015 and 2016! The work will help to repair, rebuild, and strengthen the infrastructure that connects the communities in our northland.

A milling and bridge replacement job on Highway 53 near International Falls got underway this week.

A lot of people travel from the Twin Ports to the Iron Range for business and pleasure.  A temporary highway closure could affect your travel starting next week.

It seems like the rest of the country is finding out what we've known about the Northland for years:  It's a great place to live!  Recent surveys have awarded various communities and establishments in our region titles for the best  the best french fries, and the best city to live in Wisconsin.  Now, they're celebrating one of our Northland communities as the Safest City in America!

Iron Range residents have reason to be happy:  The plans for a two-lane expansion on Highway 169 between Bovey and Taconite are about to move forward.

As the Minnesota Department of Transportation continues its plans for the relocation of Highway 53 between Eveleth and Virginia details are starting to be made public.  Some of those project details are rather interesting.

People who were holding out hope for a local contractor for the Highway 53 Relocation Project didn't get their wish.  Officials with the Minnesota Department of Transportation have announced the two contractors who will perform the work on what will become the biggest bridge in Minnesota when it's finished.

An update to a story we shared yesterday:  It appears that both DFL and GOP colleagues of Minnesota State Senator David Tomassoni (DFL) are suggesting that his new lobbying position might be a conflict of interest with his role as a legislator.

Minnesota State Senator David Tomassoni (DFL) has made the unusual and unprecedented move of assuming the Executive Director position at the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS) - a lobbying group - while still a sitting lawmaker.

Highway 53 isn't the only roadway that will see movement over the next few years on the Iron Range;  Plans are underway to alter the route that Highway 1/169 takes between Tower and Ely to create a safer route for motorists.

Even though we're in the "off season" for road construction projects, there is plenty of movement on the Highway 53 Relocation Project that is planned for 2017.  Now that the state has firmed up plans and selected an alternate route, the work on what impact this roadway will have on our environment is underway.