Interstate 90 motorists to be detoured for removal of southbound U.S. Highway 63 bridge deck

Interstate 90 motorists will be detoured 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., for three successive nights (March 22-24), while construction crews remove the Hwy 63 southbound bridge deck over the highway, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The nighttime closure and detour of I-90 is being done for safety as crews begin the second year of the project north of Stewartville. In 2020, crews replaced the northbound bridge, improved access for motorists merging onto northbound Hwy 63 from east and westbound I-90. They also closed an at-grade access to Hwy 63 from Hwy 30 west.

During the I-90 detour, westbound motorists will exit I-90 at Hwy 63 northbound (Exit 209), proceed north to the Hwy 30 west exit at the Rochester International Airport, return to Hwy 63 going southbound and follow to I-90 where it rejoins the highway. Eastbound motorists will exit I-90 at High Forest (Exit 205) follow Olmsted County Road 6 east into Stewartville, then north on Hwy 63 to connect again with I-90.

The ramp for eastbound I-90 to southbound Hwy 63 remains open at Exit 209A at Stewartville.

Motorists should also be aware of changes that remain in place for Olmsted County Road 8 and Hwy 30:

• Stop sign changes at Hwy 30/ Olmsted County Road 8 – the intersection at Hwy 30 and Olmsted County Road 8 has changed. Motorists on eastbound Hwy 30 will need to stop at a stop sign before turning north or south onto Olmsted County Road 8. Motorists on Olmsted County Road 8 will not have a stop sign.
• Hwy 30 detour – the intersection of Hwy 30 west and Hwy 63 is closed and rerouted. Hwy 63 motorists who want to access Hwy 30 west of Hwy 63 will exit at Olmsted County Road 16, (the interchange that serves Rochester International Airport), travel west to Olmsted County Road 8 south to Hwy 30 west.

Detours for motorists in 2021 include:

• Northbound Hwy 63 to westbound I-90: Motorists go north to the Hwy 30/Olmsted County Road 8 exit at the airport, return to southbound Hwy 63 and connect with westbound I-90 on-ramp.
• Southbound Hwy 63 to eastbound I-90: Motorists travel south to 20^th St. and do a U-turn to travel north on Hwy 63 to use the I-90 eastbound on-ramp.
• Westbound I-90 to southbound Hwy 63 follow same route during bridge deck removal.

During the two-year construction project both Hwy 63 bridges will be replaced, Hwy 30 west rerouted, some I-90 exit ramps will be added or realigned and the access to 90^th Street SE will be closed and rerouted.

Motorists can find more information on the plans and sign up for email updates at the MnDOT project website at or join MnDOT’s SE Minnesota Facebook group.

Crews continue to follow the guidance of state and federal health officials to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

For traffic and travel information in Minnesota, visit MnDOT’s road conditions map or get the free smartphone app at Google Play or the App Store.