$9.1 million Hader interchange opens on Highway 52

Nov. 2—HADER — Tory Thompson has a long-term vision for construction projects.

As the Minnesota Department of Transportation project manager for the U.S. Highway 52 project, she knows the conditions of the lanes, the challenges of adding safety elements and that the project continues in 2023.

This week, Thompson and MnDOT's focus rests on opening the new controlled-access interchange at Hader. That portion of the long-term project includes exit and on ramps, and Goodhue County Road 8 and Minnesota Highway 57 traffic traveling under a new pair of bridges taking traffic to and from the Twin Cities.

The northbound ramps of the interchange open Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, with the southbound portions slated to open by Nov. 15. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. Friday at the interchange.

The north and southbound lanes will be open for winter travel.

"They'll start to get a feel for some of the safety improvements," said Mike Dougherty, MnDOT director of public engagement and communications for District 6. "There's a nice big element that's done but there's still a full year of construction left after this."

From

Zumbrota to Cannon Falls

, the

nearly $70 million project

includes three years of work with this year's work concentrated on 6.5 miles of reconstruction on the southbound lanes and the new interchange. The Hader interchange cost approximately $9.1 million for grading work and the bridges.

While the northbound bridge has become synonymous with Highway 52 traffic for months, the Hader entrances and exits will help eliminate safety risks, Dougherty said. Over the last 10 years, the previous at-grade intersection saw 48 crashes with two fatalities, two with serious injuries and more minor injury crashes.

The bridges were built between April and September. The crews removed dirt from under the highway and installed metal sheeting to hold the old southbound Highway 52 lanes in place for traffic.

"It has mostly maintained that same elevation, and so the bridge if you imagine and envision where the bridge is, everything under it all had fill there," Thompson said.

The original plans raised Highway 57 over Highway 52, which would have placed the road 20 feet in the air, Thompson explained. Now, Highway 57 and County Road 8 run underneath the highway rather than across.

As one of the project's big pieces, the

Hader interchange

came up in discussions for years. Thompson and Dougherty said Highway 52's high speed as well as driveway and side road access at the highway level bring risks.

"The Highway 57 interchange eliminates two roadways that have significant volume," Thompson said. "It eliminates the opportunity for more severe accidents from continuing to occur."

With a safety focus throughout the project, MnDOT closed roadway access at 90th, 100th and 110th Avenues. The changed access points also create frustration for local residents who now travel further to enter the highway.

A new park and ride option, which sits on the north side in the unincorporated town of Hader, offers a designated parking lot instead of people parking along County Road 8. People commute into Rochester or the Twin Cities, as well as on Highway 57 to Dodge County. Though, the need was discussed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and work patterns have shifted, Dougherty said.

The Hader interchange moves towards the goal of a controlled-access freeway between Rochester and the Twin Cities, which Olmsted, Goodhue and Dakota county engineers have their sights set on.

The next set of discussions will focus on

needs between Hader and Zumbrota

. MnDOT's metro district is also starting a

concrete paving project

on Highway 52 north of Cannon Falls in 2023. The project will close lanes between Hampton and the refinery for two years.

"In the end they'll be some really good improvements with it all, but in the process of getting there, even getting through construction there will be some more likely traffic delays or slow downs from time to time beginning next spring time when everything starts up again," Dougherty said.

While construction headaches are continual, Thompson encourages improved safety, such as utilizing the extension of Goodhue County Road 14. Dougherty said with repaved portions of the project opening up he hopes people will appreciate the importance of improving and maintaining roads.

The 2023 project schedule includes the Zumbro River bridges just north of Zumbrota, the remaining 6.5 miles of southbound reconstruction, frontage road and cul-de-sac construction, and a noise wall at Minnesota Highway 58 in Zumbrota.

The southbound lanes between Goodhue County Road 24 to County Road 9 and County Road 50 to County Road 7 will be closed for reconstruction from April to November 2023. Both traffic flows will return to the northbound lanes during those times.