After being delayed for a week by the relentless spring rains, a road construction project spanning a busy 7.5-mile stretch of Hwy. 169 from Golden Valley to Brooklyn Park is finally underway.

Last Friday, pavement reconstruction began on southbound Hwy. 169 between 77th Avenue and Hwy. 55, and this coming Friday, work on the northbound section of the same stretch of Hwy. 169 will begin.

The project will close Hwy. 169 to motorists on weekends, beginning at 9 p.m. on Fridays and reopening by 5 a.m. on Mondays. The work is expected to take four weekends, but all lanes and ramps will remain open during the July 4th weekend.

The $12.2 million project will provide a smoother road surface, new guardrails and improved bus lanes and pedestrian accessibility.

Other summer projects on Hwy. 169 will include single-lane closures through Edina and Hopkins and temporary road closures and detours from Hwy. 101 to Pioneer Trail between Shakopee and Bloomington.

Ben Johnson • 612-673-4499