Highway 7 closes in Victoria for weekend

It’s going to be a great weekend for getting outside! If you’re heading out of town, you’ll encounter quite a few work zones.

In the southwest metro, Highway 7 is closing for the weekend in Victoria between Casamita Road and Merrywood Lane. The shutdown begins at 7 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday. Drivers will be detoured along County Road 11, Highway 5 and Highway 41.

If you plan to travel along Interstate 35W in the north metro, the new road layout is proving to be a bit tricky. The right two lanes are reserved for motorists who need to exit off I-35W, while the left lane is for those who want to travel straight through the work zone. Drivers are reporting that the left lane ends suddenly near I-694. Be prepared to merge quickly with traffic coming from the right. The new configuration will stay in place through spring of 2021.

Meanwhile, Highway 15 remains closed near downtown Hutchinson as part of a reconstruction project. A detour is set up along County Road 115 and Highway 7. Highway 15 is expected to remain closed to through traffic between Fifth Avenue and Second Avenue through late October. There’s also some single-lane construction that’s in place from County Road 115 to Fifth Avenue for about the next week related to a resurfacing project.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation says a project along Highway 47 between Ogilvie and Isle is about 85% complete. The roadway is closed until late October. The detour takes motorists to Highway 27, Highway 65 and Highway 23.