Highway 53/37 Bridge Project Detour Starts June 18

An Iron Range bridge project could cause delays for drivers this week along a popular interesction off of Highway 53.  Starting this morning, a project to replace the bridge at the intersection of Highway 53 and Highway 37 is underway and there is a resulting detour.

Drivers who need to exit off of Highway 53 northbound and want to turn west onto Highway 37 will still take the usual off-ramp, but follow it instead back on to 53 with a turn around at Bodas Road.  At Bodas Road, drivers will then drive south on Highway 53 back to the off-ramp to Highway 37 - bypassing the bridge.  At the same time, drivers who are traveling eats on Highway 37 and want to turn north on Highway 53 will instead exit off to the south-bound lanes of Highway 53, traveling to the intersection of 16, where they can turn north on Highway 53.  The detour route will be visibly signed for convenience.

The Highway 53 detour is expected to run through the end of the day on Friday, June 22.  However, highway 37 drivers will use the detour for the remainder of the project.

The work on the Highway 37 bridge is part of a $1.9 million project to improve the roadway and the intersection - adding safety elements into the design.  To get more information, click here to visit the project page on the Minnesota Department of Transportation's website.