Business Highway 371 opens in time for the Crow Wing County Fair

BAXTER, Minn. –The Minnesota Department of Transportation is excited to announce that Business Highway 371 will open, and the detour will lift between Joseph Street and Buffalo Hills Lane/Industrial Park Road in Brainerd on Saturday, July 30, in time for the Crow Wing County Fair.

This is the first of three work segments to be improved on Business Highway 371 through early October between 70th Avenue in Barrows and Joseph Street in Brainerd, Crow Wing County. Here’s what to expect
July 30 through early-September:

• July 30 to August 8: Business Highway 371 will be open to all traffic, includes accesses to/from the highway for the week of the Crow Wing County Fair. The Business Highway 371 intersection at Buffalo Hills Lane/Industrial Park Road will remain an all-way stop.
• August 8 to early September: Business Highway 371 will close and detour from south of Greenwood Street to Buffalo Hills Lane/Industrial Park Road in Brainerd. Motorists to follow a signed detour along Highway 371 to Highway 210 Baxter back to Business Highway 371 in Brainerd.
  • The Business Highway 371 intersection at Buffalo Hills Lane and Industrial Park Road will remain an all-way stop until fall when the new signal system is operational.
  • Access will be open and maintained to those who live, work or visit residents, businesses and healthcare facilities along the Business Highway 371 work zone; however, expect access changes and gravel surfaces.
    • The west access to Greenwood Street to/from Business Highway 371 will be closed to realign the intersection. Use Buffalo Hills Lane.

For the full duration of this project, motorists may encounter periodic lane closures, shoulder closures and crews working along the entire project. Motorists are urged to always be attentive, drive with caution, slow down in work zones and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.

In September, crews will complete the final segment under traffic from 70^th Avenue in Barrows to south of Greenwood Street in Brainerd.  If you have any questions, contact MnDOT Construction Project Manager Kirk Allen at 218-828-5739 or kirk.allen@state.mn.us. For more information and to download detour maps, visit the Business Highway 371 project webpage at www.mndot.gov/d3/brd.

When complete in early October, the $7.1 million project will provide a smoother road surface, updated drainage, and improved access and safety along four miles of Business Highway 371—Brainerd to Barrows.