Highway 12 will close for 3 weeks to improve safety

After years of residents in the west metro pushing to make a highway safer, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will install a concrete center median divider along Highway 12 later this month.

The department of transportation will install a concrete center median divider between 394 in Wayzata to County Road 6 in Orono. West Hennepin Public Safety says, while this improvement will save lives, it’ll cause severe traffic congestion during construction.

Highway 12 will close on Monday, October 17 for approximately three weeks. Traffic will be detoured along County Road 12 through Long Lake and Orono. Motorists should expect delays and plan on extra time when traveling through the area.

The highway is known as one of the state’s deadliest stretches of road. The concrete median barrier will be built with a $2.3 million federal grant.

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