Lane closures begin on Highway 371 east of Gull Lake in Brainerd June 20
BAXTER, Minn. –Brainerd Lakes travelers can expect weekday lane closures with reduced speeds on both directions of Highway 371 as a $6.8 million access and safety improvement project starts from south of Gull Lake Dam Road (Crow Wing County Road 125) to north of Green Gables Road (County Road 126) on Monday, June 20.
MnDOT will reconstruct three intersections with a reduced conflict intersection (RCI) design, also known as a
j-turn, at Gull Lake Dam Road (County Road 125), Birchdale Road (Brainerd International Raceway main entrance) and Green Gables Road (County Road 126). The two-year project will also reconstruct and extend both frontage roads along Highway 371; replace underground pipes and repair ditch drainage; and resurface work areas, which includes shoulders and entrances.
In RCI’s, drivers always make a right turn followed by a U-turn. This reduces potential conflict points and improves safety. These intersections decrease fatalities and injuries caused by broadside crashes on four-lane divided highways.
Navigating the Highway 371 work zone
Here’s what to expect between June 20 and Nov. 1, 2022:
- Weekdays: Lane closures at off-peak hours, reduced speeds, narrowed lanes or no shoulders. Work to occur on good weather days, during daylight hours, Monday morning through noon Friday.
- Overnights: Head-to-head traffic on one side as crews replace pipes below the north or southbound side. Work to begin week of June 26, on good weather days, Sunday through Thursday nights, between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. for approximately two weeks.
- Weekends and holidays: All four lanes open
Access will be open to those who live, work, or visit areas within the work zone; however, expect changes. Highway 371 will always be open to BIR at Birchdale Road or Landmark Drive. Later this summer, Green Gables Road will be detoured to reconstruct the entrance to Highway 371, more details to be released when known.
In June 2023, crews will return to complete Theatre Road and pave any remaining gravel areas along Highway 371.
For more information, contact MnDOT Construction Project Manager Nate Walton at nathan.walton@state.mn.us or 218-537-3144; or visit the Highway 371 web page at www.mndot.gov/d3/projects/rci/h371/.
Anderson Brothers, Brainerd, is the prime contractor for the two-mile project that will improve safety and access along this busy recreational area of Highway 371.
To learn more about the benefits of RCI’s, visit www.mndot.gov/roadwork/rci/.
For real-time travel information anywhere in Minnesota, call 5-1-1 or visit 511mn.org.