Hwy. 53 relocation: Not just a ‘bridge’ project

Listen to this article

Pat Huston bristles a bit when people refer to the $240 million Highway 53 relocation in Virginia, Minnesota, as a “bridge” project.

Sure, the new 1,100-foot-long bridge over the Rouchleau mining pit is a huge and visible element. Standing 200 feet above the causeway, it rates as the highest bridge in the Minnesota Department of Transportation system.

But Huston, a MnDOT project director who’s overseeing the project, notes that the scope of work also includes more than 3 miles of new four-lane roadway, a mess of utility work, interchange construction, trail construction and other non-bridge elements.

“Really, much of the project is that stuff away from the bridge,” Huston said. “But we always hear, ‘How is the bridge project coming?’ The bridge is ready. We are finishing up the rest of it.”

MnDOT plans to “dedicate” the project Friday morning. That means the project team is ready to switch traffic onto a new route that loops around the existing Highway 53 to the east and north. The switch is expected to happen later this weekend.  

But it doesn’t mean the work is done. Crews are finishing up duties that include final slopes and ditches, topsoil placement, turf work, guardrail installation, asphalt paving, signage and striping, according to MnDOT’s project website.

Once traffic moves onto the new road, crews will remove all the infrastructure where the old highway was, Huston said.

A soggy 2017 construction season slowed progress, but the work is still on track to wrap up in mid-October, about a month ahead of when MnDOT is contractually obligated to complete the project.

“We were two months ahead, coming out of winter. But we had some heavy rain this summer,” Huston said. “It has not been easy for construction. When you are building something, especially with dirt, it helps to be dry.”

Highway 53 is a major corridor in the region and a key link between Virginia and Eveleth, according to MnDOT.

Not everything has gone smoothly from a local perspective. Virginia Mayor Larry Cuffe said Thursday that his city still needs to come up with $5.7 million for project-related local utility costs.

Cuffe said the city will ask the state Legislature for bonding money next year. If that doesn’t come through, local businesses and residents will face “significant” increases in their utility bills, Cuffe said.

From a construction perspective, Cuffe said he’s glad that the highway is opening to traffic ahead of schedule despite project challenges that include building a bridge over an active mine pit.

The bridge will carry Highway 53 about 200 feet above the pit. Geotechnical challenges abounded. At one point, the project team used drones to produce detailed surveys of fractures in the Rouchleau Pit walls. It was all done on an aggressive two-year construction schedule.

“Overall, it’s an engineering marvel for them to accomplish that in such a short period of time. It’s a beautiful project,” Cuffe said.

MnDOT built Highway 53 in 1960 on land owned by mining interests. Under an easement deal, MnDOT was required to move the road within three years if the owner notified MnDOT that it needed to mine the land, according to MnDOT.

Cliffs Natural Resources and landowner RGGS gave MnDOT notice in 2010. The two sides later agreed to a November 2017 deadline for relocation.

Omaha-based Kiewit Construction, the lead contractor, is poised to get a nice bonus for early completion. As Finance & Commerce reported in April, the contractor can earn $25,000 for every calendar day the road is open before Nov. 15.

The Pasadena, California-based Parsons Transportation Group led design and engineering along with MnDOT’s in-house team.

The project team included 27 local subcontractors and 100-plus construction workers, according to MnDOT.

Aside from the local contribution for utility work, MnDOT is using state bonding authority and $30 million in federal funding to pay for the project.

• MnDOT kicks off $230M Hwy. 53 project
• $240M Hwy. 53 relocation work to finish in fall