Overnight work on Highway 371 east of Gull Lake in Brainerd begins July 5

BAXTER, Minn. – Brainerd Lakes travelers can expect overnight construction on Highway 371 from south of Gull Lake Dam Road (Crow Wing County Road 125) to north of Green Gables Road (County Road 126) on Tuesday evening, July 5, through late July.

The night work is part of MnDOT’s safety and access improvement project that 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 replace underground pipes and repair ditch drainage; reconstruct and extend both frontage roads along Highway 371; and resurface work areas, including 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

Highway 371 will remain open to traffic throughout construction; however, expect these changes:

• Weekends and holidays: All four lanes open.
• Overnights (July 5 through late July): Head-to-head traffic on one side as crews replace pipes below the northbound or southbound side. Work to occur on good weather days, Sunday through Thursday nights, 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. for approximately three weeks.
• Weekdays (through November 1): 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. 

Access will be open to those who live, work, or visit areas within the work zone but 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 any remaining work, mainly frontage road construction.

For more information, contact MnDOT Construction Project Manager Nate Walton at nate.walton@state.mn.us or 218-537-3144; or visit the Highway 371 web page at www.mndot.gov/d3/projects/d3/projects/rci/h371/.

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.