Highway 53 to be Open to Traffic This November

The Construction is Coming Along Right on Schedule.

VIRGINIA, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation built the original roadway in 1960, on land owned by mining companies. In 2010, the lease on the land expired and since then, MnDOT has been working to move Highway 53 to a new location.

The highway relocation work has many components to it, including moving a portion of the highway onto new land, building a new bridge, and moving utility lines for the city of Virginia.

“The bridge is essentially done,” stated Andy Johnson, the Construction Engineer of MnDOT. “The pieces that are left are ornamental and cosmetic.”

MnDOT officials say they hope to get the highway up and running by November of this year.

Larry Cuffe, the mayor of Virginia says the economy of Virginia and the surrounding cities could depend on the construction of the bridge and the relocation of the highway, and is excited to see that the project is coming along on schedule.

“We wouldn’t exist as a city if this bridge wasn’t built,” said Cuffe. “We would be cut off from all economic opportunities from tourists, from trucking, from commerce, from anything, so this really sure is us in the future.”