TH41 Railroad Crossing and Intersection -- Asphalt Detour Routes
Project Overview
Highway 41 Minnesota River crossing scheduled to reopen July 22
Crews plan to reopen the Highway 41 Minnesota River crossing to traffic at 5 p.m. Monday, July 22, weather permitting, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Highway 41 north of Highway 169, from just north of Dem Con Drive in Scott County to First Street in downtown Chaska, closed June 20 due to flooding.
Crews are repairing flood damage to the road and slopes, moving debris, and returning concrete barriers to the shoulders of Highway 41.
Meanwhile, during the flood closure crews began work early on another Highway 41 project, to shorten the overall closure time. That project, led by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, includes roadway and turn lane improvements for a new organics recycling facility.
MnDOT is also working with the Union Pacific Railroad at the site to make railroad crossing safety improvements and repairs.
The flood repair, and roadway and railroad crossing improvements, are scheduled to be completed by 5 p.m. July 22.
All construction activities and traffic impacts are weather-dependent and subject to change.
For updated road condition information, call 511 or visit www.511mn.org.
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) and Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) are working with Union Pacific Railroad (UP) to make railroad crossing safety improvements and roadway repairs to a 0.3-mile stretch of Highway 41 (Chestnut Boulevard) in Scott County this summer. The tribe is currently building a new organics recycling facility, Dakota Prairie Composting, near the intersection of highways 169 and 41 in Louisville Township.
This construction work will happen between the UP railroad crossing and Dem Con Drive. Crews will add bypass and turn lanes and install rail crossing safety improvements, which will ease congestion, improve road safety, and better accommodate traffic.
Construction is anticipated to start in late June with the closure of TH 41 starting July 8 and lasting for approximately three weeks. The contractor cannot close TH 41 prior to July 8 and must open TH 41 to traffic, at the latest, by August 16 for the opening of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. During this period, this 0.3-mile stretch of TH 41 will be entirely closed to the public and will be detoured to the river crossing in downtown Shakopee. See the attached figure for the planned signed route and supporting local connections.
Project Updates
6/21/2024
Railroad Crossing and Intersection Improvement Project on Highway 41 - Update
With the closure of the Hwy 41 Minnesota River crossing Thursday due to flooding, the SMSC, MnDOT, UPRR, and our contractors are working to accelerate construction that would have occurred during our original closure scheduled to start July 8. Construction will begin Friday, June 21 between Dem Con Drive and the railroad crossing, and we are hopeful that (weather pending) we will be able to reduce additional closure time. We will still need to close the railroad crossing for track repair and signal relocation but will attempt to get the other work requiring closure done during the flood closure. We are working directly with the asphalt plant to maintain access during construction.
More information about the road closure, including project updates, detours, and frequently asked questions, are available at shakopeedakota.org. You can also contact Steve Albrecht at steve.albrecht@shakopeedakota.org or 952.233.4236; or Mark Olson, MnDOT Communications and Engagement, at mark.olson@state.mn.us or 651.335.2435.
Project Gallery
Project FAQ
- Why is a closure needed?
The concrete highway and railroad crossing repairs cannot be completed while the road is open to traffic. This work requires the temporary closure of the 0.3-mile stretch of TH 41 between the UP railroad and Dem Con Drive.
- Is this project the same as the TH 41 downtown Chaska project?
The TH 41 downtown project is not the same as this one despite the same corridor being closed. The City of Chaska led that downtown project, while this project is being led by SMSC.
- How come this project wasn’t completed during last year’s closure of TH 41 for the downtown Chaska project?
The SMSC and MnDOT pursued that possibility to take advantage of the closure. Unfortunately, due to the Martin Marietta Asphalt Plant and the SMSC composting facility sites being north of the UP railway crossing, they would have been landlocked and not accessible during the TH 41 river bridge portion of the staging. This would impact business and would not provide adequate public safety access.
- Why can’t this project be constructed at another time?
Minnesota’s roadway construction projects are typically limited to the months of March-November due to our freezing winters. There were several factors that impacted the project timing. This intersection is utilized by the Minnesota Renaissance Festival which has a large traffic demand. Closing this intersection during their operations would be detrimental to TH 169 and create unsafe conditions of stopped traffic onto a high-speed roadway. This project also needs to work around Martin Marietta Asphalt Operations. In addition, Scott County has a roundabout project at the intersection of CSAH 78/69, just west along this TH 41 corridor, that will be closed to traffic. Aligning this construction schedule with that project seemed beneficial since East-West traffic will already be detoured onto TH 169. We also wanted to have these improvements made before the fall, when the tribe’s Dakota Prairie Composting facility is expected to open.
- Will the UP railway crossing be replaced?
MnDOT maintenance has had a scheduled project with UP to replace the existing surface crossing panels from last year. MnDOT has a history of vehicle incidents involving the crossing of this railway because of the rough condition it is in. Because this project would require the closure of TH 41 as well, it was a joint decision to combine these two projects into one to limit the inconvenience to the public. UP railway will be replacing new panels and the existing signal.
- What other routes should I take?
See the attached map on the backside of this flyer for the signed and local routes. Access to the Martin Marietta Asphalt Plant and SMSC Dakota Prairie Composting project site will be maintained during construction.
- How can I get updates and stay informed during construction?
This webpage will be updated regularly on the contractor’s progress and provide exact closure and opening dates. MnDOT also will have information on their 511 website.
You can also contact Mark Olson at MnDOT or Steve Albrecht at the SMSC directly.
