The West Main Street sidewalk project in Albert Lea is complete, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Various street corners and sidewalks were closed along the route — which is also Minnesota Highway 13 — while crews replaced several pedestrian ramps and built new sidewalks. The effort was part of MnDOT’s efforts to improve accessibility for pedestrians crossing state highways.

The project cost about $166,000, and the contractor was Haselton Construction of Faribault.

Many people associate Highway 13 as starting at the terminus for U.S. Highway 69 near Graceland Cemetery. It actually starts at the junction of Main Street and Broadway Avenue next to the St. Paul Clothing House building and stretches west to Graceland, where it turns north.

In other words, West Main Street in Albert Lea is Highway 13 and East Main Street in Albert Lea is U.S. Highway 65, so the state, not the city, is responsible for Main Street.

MnDOT thanked Albert Lea residents for their patience during this four-week project.

New pedestrian ramps now are on the northwest corner of the intersection of St. Mary Avenue and Main Street, on the northeast and southeast corners of the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Main Street, on both entrances of the northwest entrance to Skyline Plaza, and at the junction of Highway 69 onto Highway 13.

New sidewalks are along the highway from St. Mary Avenue to Euclid Avenue and on the north side of the highway from the Skyline Plaza entrance to Highway 69.