Hwy 23 North Gap

Project Overview

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This Corridors of Commerce project includes the reconstruction and expansion of nine miles of Highway 23 from Paynesville to Richmond, MN. Highway 23 is an important interregional highway that connects central Minnesota communities to Interstate 94. Its expansion from two to four lanes with this project aims to encourage new business growth and enhance existing business access along the corridor. Additional project benefits are improved traffic flow, freight movement, and corridor performance including capacity, mobility, and safety. The project includes realignment of several intersections, extensive utility relocations, reconstruction of one mile of the Glacial Lakes State Trail, and the realignment of Kolling Creek.

Our Work

Isthmus led the final design of this project and delivered construction-ready plans. The project’s scale required active project management and coordination across the other firms involved in the design phases, ensuring that issues were tracked and resolved and that timely decisions were made to keep the project on schedule.

Unique aspects of the design included mill and overlay, drainage, four box culverts, 17 basins, the design of 14 intersections, lighting, soil remediation with surcharge, turf establishment, and erosion control.

Our team applied proven design methods and processes to develop advanced corridor models and machine control surfaces. This allowed for the identification of potential construction issues during design rather than once construction had begun.

A key challenge was the project’s utility coordination with 11 utility companies and public entities. This, along with multiple stages of construction and delayed property acquisition, added complexity to the utility relocation permitting process.