Temporary U.S. Highway 63 traffic signal installed north of Stewartville for construction project at I-90

U.S. Hwy 63 motorists should be prepared to stop just south of the Interstate 90 interchange at Schumann Drive in Stewartville beginning Friday, June 19 when a temporary traffic signal is activated, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The temporary signal is in place during construction. Northbound and southbound Hwy 63 traffic will have left-turn signals to allow turns to Schumann Drive. The signal is just south of the median crossover that puts northbound and southbound Hwy 63 traffic in single lanes adjacent to each other in the southbound lanes. The Hwy 63 northbound lanes near I-90 are closed.

Hwy 63 northbound and southbound left turn traffic signal sequencing at 20th Street NW in Stewartville will be changed to accommodate vehicles making a U-turn to then use I-90 eastbound.

Meanwhile, motorists should be alert to other traffic changes taking place.

A three-night detour begins from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Crews will be removing the Hwy 63 northbound bridge over I-90.

During the I-90 overnight detour, westbound motorists will exit I-90 at Hwy 52 (Exit 218) north to Rochester, Hwy 63 south 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.

On Monday, June 15, Hwy 63 traffic was switched over in advance of the bridge demolition. Hwy 63 motorists who are northbound are switched over to a single lane in the southbound lanes, traveling adjacent to southbound traffic, which are traveling in the other single lane. This is south of the Rochester International Airport to the north side of Stewartville before vehicles return to their usual lanes. This Hwy 63 traffic configuration will remain through Oct. 30. Additional detours will be in place.

Other traffic changes that have been in place include eastbound I-90 motorists who want to travel north on Hwy 63 continue to be detoured at Exit 205, cross the highway and follow Olmsted County Road 6 west a short distance to Olmsted County Road 8 north. Follow Olmsted 8 to Olmsted County Road 16 east to Hwy 63 near Rochester International Airport. 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 affect Olmsted 8 and Hwy 30:

• Stop sign changes at Hwy 30/ Olmsted 8 – the intersection at Hwy 30 and Olmsted 8 will be changed. Motorists on Hwy 30 will need to stop at a stop sign before turning north or south onto Olmsted 8. Motorists on Olmsted 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 8 south to Hwy 30 west.

Mathiowetz Construction, a MnDOT contractor, are building crossover lanes to move traffic once construction starts to replace the Hwy 63 bridges over Interstate 90.

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.

Construction will take place in 2020 and 2021 to complete this $15,419,780 project. Motorists can find more information on the plans and sign up for email updates at the MnDOT project website at www.dot.state.mn.us/d6/projects/hwy63-i90-interchange/index.html or join MnDOT’s SE Minnesota Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/MnDOTsoutheast/.