Hwy 53 Relocation

Project Overview

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Located between Eveleth and Virginia, MN, this project required that a five-mile stretch of Highway 53 be relocated due to the Rouchleau Mine expansion, including a 480-foot-long bridge that sits 180 feet above the mine pit floor. In addition to managing this geographically challenging construction environment, project tasks included securing a permanent highway easement, relocating public utilities, and assessing and protecting water quality for the surrounding communities — all of which had to be delivered under an aggressive, condensed timeline due to a statutory date deadline.

Our Work

Isthmus led the cross sections and modeling aspects of this Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC) project, utilizing new software that had not been used before on a MnDOT design project.

Given the timing constraints — which cut the project planning and completion timeline in half — our team built and maintained the integrity of the 3D model throughout the intense design process and collaborated with the contractor team. This process allowed potential construction issues to be identified and minimized during design which lowered the risk of issues and allowed the construction process to proceed more quickly and efficiently.

As an added value, the model was used by MnDOT for visualization and became the starting point for the models used by the CMGC contractor for machine guidance, supporting the accelerated construction. The project team was able to complete the design and construction by the statutory date, preventing significant financial penalties.