Blake Road - 2022 / 2023 Roadway Reconstruction

A majority of the railing along the sidewalks and Mirror Lake within the Blake Road Street Reconstruction Project have been installed. There are a few pieces missing because they were delivered damaged. Staff is requiring the contractor to fix and re-paint those specific railing segments and install.

Installation of railings along the sidewalk and Mirror Lake started this week. This is exciting. It is the last major work item remaining to complete this project. There will continue to be some miscellaneous warranty work in the near term. Thanks again for the patience on this incredible project.

The contractor will be removing and replacing broken concrete under warranty. They will be managing traffic as needed. Thanks for the patience.

The contractor is working on a list of items that need to be finished or corrected before the project is complete. The railings along the sidewalk should be installed soon. Fabrication and painting of the railings is almost complete. Thanks

Later this week the contractor will be removing the sign mounts in the sidewalk and installing sign mounts to the walls. This removes an obstruction in the sidewalk during sidewalk snowplowing operations. The railings are being fabricated now. Railings have a very long lead time. They are tentatively scheduled for installation early June. Thanks

The final layer of pavement was placed this week. Pavement markings and regulatory signs are scheduled towards the end of next week. If the remaining work goes as scheduled, the road will be open before Thanksgiving and potentially the weekend before. Thanks for all the patience with this project.

The area south of Mirror Lake is making great progress. The concrete curb was installed this week. The first two layers of blacktop is scheduled for next week along with concrete sidewalks. If everything goes as planned, the final layer of blacktop would occur the first week of November. Recall after the final layer of blacktop is placed, pavement markings and signs need to be installed before we can re-open the road to traffic. It is anticipated that it will re-open before Thanksgiving. The project team appreciates all the patience with the longer than expected project.

As most people already know, the north half of the project is complete and open to traffic. The area south of Mirror Lake is still closed to traffic as the contractor finishes up. All underground utilities are complete, road grading is in process and concrete curb is tentatively scheduled for the first week of October. Progress also continues on the stone retaining walls. Of note is that the railings that will be placed on top of the wall near the sidewalks will be installed at a later date due to fabrication time.

Interlachen Boulevard is open east of Blake Road, and Blake Road is open between the land bridge and the Edina / Hopkins city limits. Blake Road continues to be closed south of the land bridge. See the map for details.

Problems with the water system valves on Interlachen Boulevard require an emergency water shutoff today, 8/16. The contractor is working as quickly as possible to restore water service, but it’s anticipated that the shutdown will last until 6 PM. Affected streets include those on Interlachen Boulevard west of Blake Road.