Stearns County Road 75 Bridge to Open

WAITE PARK (WJON News) -- Despite the significant rainfall this spring, the opening of the Stearns County Road 75 Bridge will open by the contractual completion date.

Stearns County Engineer Jodi Teich says the bridge will be open to traffic before the end of Friday.

Teich says once the bridge is open, there will still be some lane closures. Crews need to close the temporary median crossing that allowed access to Opie's Gold and Modern Barnyard and complete the bridge joint work.

The project was tied to some federal money which delayed the start of demolition and construction until last fall. And, with bids going out in mid-July, Teich says they wouldn't have had enough time to pour the concrete before the cold weather arrived.

The nearly $5-million project detoured some 20,000 vehicles per day since it began last fall.