Highway 169 closure affects students’ and teachers’ routes to HHS

As Minn. highway construction continues its seemingly never-ending work, the closure of one of the most traveled highways that runs right past HHS has caused a change in students’ and teachers’ routes to school.

Highway 169 closed on Jan. 23 and will remain closed until Oct. 2017.  

“It makes my commute seven minutes longer,” said Abby Martin, junior. “It’s completely out of my way.”

Martin and Mr. Philip Brown, Music, are just two of many students and teachers that used to take Highway 169 to get to school.

“I’ve had to completely change my route,” Brown said. “It definitely is longer.”

Although the closure of the major highway has added time to students’ and teachers’ routes, it has also made others shorter.

Isabelle Olson, senior, lives off of the first exit north of the closure. The closing of Highway 169 has allowed her to leave 15 minutes later everyday to get to school and shares the road with only about ten other cars.

“I’m the end of the road. There’s no cars when I get on,” Olson said. “When I get off, every car exits also.”

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has released their reasonings for a full closure, instead of closing certain lanes.

First, the full closure can get three years worth of construction done in one year because construction workers don’t need to work only at certain times. Second, they planned it so when construction was being done on 169, there is less construction on the alternate routes. Lastly, it reduces the risk to construction workers and motorists in the work zone.

Although the construction of Highway 169 seems to be making all other detour routes chaotic, MnDOT has carefully planned out the timing of the construction. Highways 494 & 100 are the detours provided by MnDOT. Both 494 & 100 were previously having construction done.

MnDOT decided to wait to close Highway 169 until all construction on Highways 494 & 100 was completed.

There were some things, however, that MnDOT could not plan for. Many businesses around the closure are also being heavily affected by the closure of Highway 169.

Caribou Coffee, located at the Bren Rd exit, which is the furthest north exit before the closure, has experienced significant changes in the amount of customers since the closure.

“It may get to the point where we will have less people working,” said Eric Essendrup, Manager at Caribou Coffee.

Although Essendrup was not able to provide specific numbers, he was able to comment that Caribou Coffee was not making as much money as they normally would.

According to MnDOT, the bridge over Nine Mile Creek has been on a list of bridges needed to be done in Minn. Current bridge conditions require replacement by 2020.

Along with the replacement of the bridge over Nine Mile Creek, MnDOT has released information that the construction will also include repairing noise walls, replacing concrete barriers, improving pedestrian accessibility and adding acceleration and deceleration lanes on Highway 169 at Cedar Lake Rd.

The projects on Highway 169 will cost $64 million, according to MnDOT. During the process a total of six miles of pavement will be reconstructed on Highway 169 between Highways 55 & 62.