The highways around Staples will be busy during May and June - and not just due to increased springtime traffic.

Both Highway 210 from Staples to Hewitt and

Highway 10 from Staples

to Wadena will have major 'mill and overlay' projects

going on, starting shortly after May 1.

Most of the work on Highway 10 will be from the west edge of Staples to the east side of Wadena, where the four lane roadway will receive an entirely new surface. Paul Konickson, project engineer for the project from the Brainerd District 3 office of MnDOT, said that work should be underway the first week of May and finished by mid-July. Crews will mill off about two inches of the bituminous

roadbed and replace

with a four inch overlay. "In the rural areas, they

will be rasing the roadbed slightly," Konickson said.

In both Verndale and Aldrich, where there are curbs, the milling machines will take off about four inches and put back four inches of bituminous. The material milled off will be recycled and reused as part of the new surface.

Also part of the project will be extending existing turn lanes and adding turn lanes at some locations. Both right turn lanes at intersections and left turn lanes at median crossovers will be included. The project will also see at least two crossovers eliminated, Konickson said.

The project also includes work on the bituminous shoulders of the approximate eight miles from Staples to Motley. There the construction crews will be lengthening the rumble strips along the side of the roadways in both directions.

Signs announcing this project went up on both ends of the project on April 20, noted Judy Jacobs, MnDOT communications specialist.

During the project, traffi c will be re-routed to the opposite side of the road where there will be twoway, one lane traffic. "It will be a moving operation, so lane closures should not be too long," Konickson said. Knife River Construction (formerly Bauerly Brothers) is the general contractor for the $6.8 million project.

Meanwhile drivers thinking they could avoid the Highway 10 congestion and delay by taking Highway 210 will be disappointed. Motorists headed out 210 toward Hewitt in May should be prepared for delays as there will be one-lane traffic and pilot cars in use. Traffic will be stopped by a flagperson, who will hold the traffic until a pilot car can lead them to the other end of the construction operation where a second flag person will be holding traffic from the opposite lane. Traffic will only be released to a pilot car going in the same direction.

Residents living along Highway 210 are cautioned to be alert when entering the roadway. They must first determine if two-way traffic is in progress. If the road is limited to one lane, they must wait and watch for the pilot car when using the highway. Then a vehicle has to travel in the same direction as the pilot car.

Work on the 15-mile stretch from Hewitt to Staples will include mill and overlay the road surface, including shoulders and turn lanes; repair of culverts; construction of a new right turn lanes at 193rd Avenue, six miles east of Hewitt; and construction of westbound right turn lane at Todd County Highway 21 just south of Staples.

Widseth Smith Nolting of Brainerd is administering this contract for the $2.3 million pavement preservation project, Anderson Brothers Construction of Brainerd is the contractor.

"An interesting note is the Highway 10 work is a stimulus project, being funded by the federal stimulus funding," Jacobs said. The project was in the MnDOT planning process for the past few years and the timing meant that it was "shovel ready" when the stimulus package was approved. Jacobs noted that while used to having more projects than funds available, MnDOT currently has funding for about 50 percent more projects than normally scheduled. Some state projects have been moved up. "That means you will be seeing a lot of orange vests along our roads. This is Minnesota and we have a short construction season. Our crews will be on a very aggressive schedule this summer."

Jacobs noted drivers need to say alert while driving, especially in work zones, they need to minimize distractions and to avoid tailgating. "Remember, fines double in work zones," she said. Anyone with any questions can get construction related information by dialing 511 or by going to their computers and going to: www. 511mn. org