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Bridge Avenue is slated to close on Monday for the start of construction at Marshall Street and progress north throughout the summer.

Albert Lea Public Works Director Steven Jahnke said the goal for 2020 is to reach at least to Minnie Maddern Street with the remainder of the project likely to be completed in 2021. The city and Freeborn County are working with Ulland Brothers, the prime contractor, on a firm schedule.

A letter sent out to residents by SRF Consulting, which is providing contraction oversight for the project, said the contractor will begin by removing the existing pavement and curb and gutter on Bridge Avenue starting at Marshall Street and moving north and then will begin replacing the underground utilities. Once that is complete, crews will begin the process of excavating for and installing the new aggregate road-base, concrete curb and gutter and bituminous paving.

The letter stated construction for this stage will conclude in the fall with work to resume in 2021 to complete the project from Minnie Maddern through Hammer Road.

“I’m glad to be moving forward,” Jahnke said. “People are going to see a lot of activity starting here shortly.”

Jahnke advised motorists to pay attention to detours as they are put in place and to drive safely in the construction area. People will be detoured from Bridge Avenue to Garfield Avenue, which also runs north and south.

The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners last month awarded Ulland Brothers the $12.24 million contract for the project, which was almost 25% higher than the engineer’s estimate. County Engineer Sue Miller said at that time said she hoped the county could negotiate some potential cost savings, and Jahnke said Wednesday those savings had not yet been determined.

The project has been more than 20 years in the making and is a joint project between the city and county because the road is owned and maintained by the county, but underground utilities are owned and maintained by the city. The project also received $5.785 million in federal funding.

Jahnke said the project was bid out about a month and a half later than they had wanted to, which has impacted the schedule. The COVID-19 pandemic has also made it difficult for one of the underground contractors to get supplies.

With the Freeborn County Fair being canceled this year because of the pandemic, Jahnke said it gives crews the opportunity to make more progress this year than initially planned.