BEMIDJI — The Minnesota Department of Transportation will provide updates on its planned project on Highway 197 in Bemidji during the Beltrami County Fair, Aug. 9-13.
Residents and business owners can visit the MnDOT booth at the fair or explore more on the project website.
In mid-September, crews will resurface Highway 197/Paul Bunyan Drive between Bemidji Avenue and Hannah Avenue. Drivers will experience night-time lane closures as most of the resurfacing work will take place at night, to minimize impact on businesses and motorists. The lane closures will be removed during the day.
The project is expected to last about two weeks and will extend the life of the pavement by about 10 years until a more permanent fix can be constructed.
The city of Bemidji, ahead of this major project, will reconstruct Hannah Avenue and Middle School Drive in 2025. The city will host an open house 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15, to provide information and gather input from the community.
The project has been discussed heavily with numerous stakeholders since first studied in 2018, with an initial plan for six roundabouts along Bemidji’s main drag rejected by the Bemidji City Council in 2019.
MnDOT’s preferred alternative for the next phase of the project, expected to be constructed in 2026-27, would add three roundabouts to the Hannah Avenue, Middle School Drive and Gillett Drive intersections.
In 2022, MnDOT and the city of Bemidji were awarded a RAISE grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation. These grants seek to help communities build transportation projects that have significant local or regional impact and improve safety and equity.
The project was awarded $18 million, with $14.4 million towards the MnDOT project and $3.6 million toward the city’s project.
