After receiving new information from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Plymouth City Council recently revisited the timing and phasing of the Vicksburg Lane expansion project set to begin this year.

In October 2014, MnDOT informed the city of its plans to close County Road 47 and Schmidt Lake Road as crews tear down overpassing southbound bridges for Interstate 494’s third lane expansion. Each intersection will be closed for roughly six weeks.

In response to the new information, Plymouth readjusted the Vicksburg project to allow for better traffic flow and public safety access to neighborhoods in the northwestern part of the city.

Previous plans called for 2015 road work to include Vicksburg from Schmidt Lake Road to the Maple Grove border and included bridge construction over the Canadian Pacific Railroad tracks. The second phase, in 2016, was set to include completion of the project from Schmidt Lake Road to Old Rockford Road.

The new timeline flips the two phases. Vicksburg expansion work begins early summer from Old Rockford Road to Schmidt Lake Road. The remainder of the expansion and the railroad bridge construction will begin in spring 2016.

The I-494 overpass closures will occur again in 2016, though the opening of Peony Lane and Cheshire Parkway will allow north-south traffic relief. Peony and Fernbrook lanes will serve as detours for the 2015 portion of the Vicksburg project. However, motorists should expect to experience delays when traveling through the area.

A public involvement process will begin early this year for residents to view the project and submit public comment. Public comment will be collected in two phases in 2015 – one for the southern portion of the project and another for the northern.

The City of Plymouth will host an open house about the 2015 portion of construction 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3 in the Medicine Lake Room of Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Blvd. More information about the project can be found at plymouthmn.gov/vicksburg.