Hwy 22 upgrades -- more than $100M in all -- resume next month

Mark Fischenich, The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
·3 min read

Mar. 24—MAPLETON — Virtually every piece of the 70-mile length of Highway 22 from Gaylord to St. Peter to Mankato to Mapleton to Wells has seen construction in the past decade or will by the end of this one.

The latest in more than $100 million in combined improvements will be focused on a 15-mile stretch between Mapleton and Wells. It won't last the entire construction season, but the project will force a detour for Highway 22 drivers starting as soon as next month.

The $10.1 million project will bring a smoother road surface, enhanced safety and better drainage along about a 15-mile stretch of the highway, along with improved roadside sidewalks in Minnesota Lake, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Existing sidewalks will be updated, new curb ramps will meet American Disability Act standards and a short segment of new sidewalk will be added.

People who want to learn more about the upcoming work, the construction impacts and the detour are invited to an open house from 5-7 p.m. Monday at the Minnesota Lake City Office Building, 103 Main St. N. There is no formal presentation planned, and people are welcome to arrive anytime with questions for MnDOT staff and the general contractor, Uland Brothers Inc.

Construction, which is scheduled to begin in mid-April and conclude in late July, will include resurfacing of Highway 22 from about a quarter of a mile south of Mapleton to the intersection with Highway 109/Faribault County Road 29 in Wells.

The highway will be closed from Mapleton to Wells throughout the construction with traffic detoured. The detour for east-west drivers on Highway 30 at Mapleton will be short, using Central Avenue/Blue Earth County Road 7 and Blue Earth County Road 29 to bypass the two-mile stretch where Highway 30 and Highway 22 have a shared alignment southwest of Mapleton.

A longer detour is in store for north-south drivers on Highway 22. The detour runs due south from Mapleton on Blue Earth County Road 7 and Faribault County Road 17, connecting with Wells via Highway 109.

The current 21-minute, 17.5-mile drive between Mapleton and Wells will become a 32-minute, 24.5-mile trip on the detour, according to Google maps.

MnDOT has been incrementally upgrading the pavement, redesigning intersections and improving the safety on Highway 22 for nearly a decade with more projects planned for the years ahead.

More than $7 million in work was done in Mankato in 2014, highlighted by the addition of roundabouts at Madison Avenue and Adams Street. That same year, Highway 22 in Gaylord was the focus of nearly $9 million in improvements.

In 2017 and 2018, the agency undertook a $23 million reconstruction to the segment between Mankato and Mapleton with landscaping continuing into 2019. In 2020, more than $13 million in improvements were made on Highway 22 and Highway 111 south of Gaylord.

This year, the southern intersection of Highway 22 with Highway 169 in St. Peter will be improved with an $8.1 million project that also includes intersection work at Highways 169 and 99.

In 2025-26, $34 million in work is planned from north of Mankato to the south side of St. Peter. The two-year project will include major intersection improvements as well as adding passing lanes midway between the two cities and making preparations for the addition of a roadside bike trail in the future.

More than $10 million in improvements are being designed for Highway 22 in Wells in a project tentatively planned for 2026. Also in 2026, nearly $6 million in pavement work is scheduled for the segment of Highway 22 from the northwest edge of St. Peter to the junction with Highway 111.

Those who are unable to attend Monday's open house can find more information on the Highway 22 website: www.dot.state.mn.us/d7/projects/hwy22mapleton-wells/index.html.