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County Road 92 safety improvements

At Highway 12 in Independence

Hennepin County, in coordination with Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the City of Independence, is making safety improvements at two locations where County Road 92 intersects with Highway 12. This project is part of several planned improvements on Highway 12 in Independence, Maple Plain and Orono. For more information, visit MnDOT's Highway 12 Corridor Safety Improvement page.

Construction began in September.

Project timeline showing planning and design phase complete. Construction is expected to begin in 2021. Major construction activities will be complete in 2022 and the entire project be complete in 2023.
 
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Construction activities pause for winter

Crews are readying the County Road 92 safety improvements project site to pause construction for the winter. Work will continue at the site near Highway 12 next year.

As you may remember, we waited until the projects on County Road 90 and along Highway 12 were completed. Once we could get on site, we did a significant amount of earthwork to ready the foundation for the new road alignment and bridge on County Road 92.

Crews improved poor soil conditions by replacing wet or muck soils with higher-quality dirt and grading materials, like sand and gravel, which provides stronger support for the new roadway and bridge.

In certain areas along the new County Road 92 alignment, crews needed to complete additional work to improve the road foundation. They used a process called surcharging where weight is added on top of the soft soil to compress it and make it more stable. This process takes a lot of time, but it will significantly reduce the likelihood of road settling over time. This means a safer and better experience for all road users for the years ahead.

In addition to the road foundation work, crews constructed the new frontage road and cul-de-sac off along Highway 12.

View of the construction area south of Highway 12, where the roadways are being realigned and work on the new bridge has begun.

View of the construction area south of Highway 12, where the roadways are being realigned and work on the new bridge has begun.

What to expect in 2022

When crews return in spring 2022, you can expect construction to be even busier than this year. We need to construct the new County Road 92 bridge over Highway 12, the new Highway 12 roundabout and the segment of County Road 92 to connect to the new alignment. This work will require closures and using detours. We will provide more information as construction resumes next year.

Winter travel through work area

With major construction activities ending for the winter, crews will make sure the road is ready for winter travel, as well as for snow and ice removal by county crews.

To learn more about our snow and ice removal on county roads, visit www.hennepin.us/plowing.

Thank you from the project team

On behalf of the project team, we thank you for your patience while we worked to reconstruct and improve County Road 92 at Highway 12 this year.

This is the last expected email update until construction activities resume next year. You will hear from us again when construction resumes in spring. Until then, we wish you safe travels.

County Road 92 north leg and Valley Road connections closed

On Monday, November 8, we closed the County Road 92 north leg and Valley Road connections at Highway 12 for the County Road 92 safety improvements project.  

The north leg closure will remain in place until crews complete major construction activities in late 2022. The Valley Road connection will permanently close as planned.

All traffic will need to use the signed detour 

During the closure, all local and through traffic on County Road 92 will need to use the detour taking:  

  • Highway 12  
  • County Road 90  
  • County Road 11 

Using the signed detour will keep you from experiencing additional delays and getting frustrated. And it will help local streets stay safe for the individuals and families who live and play in the area.  

People walking, biking and rolling will need to use the detour route or other alternative routes outside of the construction zones.  

Detour route during the second stage closure for the County Road 92 at Highway 12 project

Detour route during the second construction stage.

County Road 92 south leg access open; expect work in area 

Highway 12 and the south leg of the County Road 92 intersection will remain open. 

People driving on Highway 12 can expect some lane shifts and narrowed lanes through the construction area, as there will be a lot of work happening along the shoulders and near the road.  

There will also be times when we will be working overnight and have large vehicles on Highway 12 and County Road 92 bringing in materials and equipment on-site. 

For your safety and the safety of our crews, please exercise caution and slow down as you travel through the area. 

Learn more about the County Road 92 project 

The planned improvements at County Road 92 are the result of both a collaborative engagement and design efforts between the county, the cities, MnDOT and the Highway 12 Safety Coalition.

Features of the new roadway include:

  • A new multi-lane roundabout that reduces the two intersections down to one
  • A realigned County Road 92 and bridge over Highway 12 and BNSF Railroad
  • A new County Road 92 curve and intersection at Lake Sarah Road 

We will construct the new intersection in stages to maintain as much access as possible on Highway 12 and County Road 92 users. Barring any delays, we anticipate completing all major construction activities by fall 2022.

When complete, the project will provide a better experience and enhance the safety of people driving in the area.

2021 events

County Road 92 at Highway 12 construction open house

On Wednesday, September 8, Hennepin County hosted a virtual construction open house for the County Road 92 at Highway 12 safety improvements project. At the open house, staff shared a short presentation about the planned improvements, access and impacts, timing and staging of the work. 

 

To download a copy of the presentation, select the link below.

County Road 92 safety at Highway 12 virtual open house presentation (PDF)

Highway 12 corridor safety improvements virtual open house

The Minnesota Department of Transportation hosted a virtual construction open house on March 2021.

The open house focused on sharing upcoming Spring construction on Highway 12 to include:

  • Highway 12 median barrier project between 6th Avenue (County Road 6) and Baker Park Road (County Road 29)
  • Roundabout project at the Highway 12 and County Road 90 intersection

Hennepin County staff were also in attendance to provide a brief update about the County Road 92 safety improvement project in Independence.

2020 events

Online design open house

In 2020, Hennepin County created an online resource that people could visit at any time. The county shared the final design, renderings and models of how traffic will move safer and better. Visitors learned more about:

  • A new multi-lane roundabout that reduces the two intersections down to one
  • A realigned County Road 92 and bridge over Highway 12 and BNSF Railroad
  • A new County Road 92 curve and intersection at Lake Sarah Road
  • You will also learn about next steps as we move toward final design and construction. 

County Road 92 safety improvements at Highway 12 design

2019 events

Design alternatives open house

Hennepin County, Minnesota Department of Transportation and the City of Independence hosted an open house on July 11, 2019 at Independence City Hall.

The open house focused on sharing three possible design alternatives where attendees could review, evaluate and provide feedback on each alternatives, as well as find out how to stay informed as the project moves forward, including additional opportunities to provide feedback.

MnDOT project staff were also in attendance to provide updates on Highway 12 Corridor safety improvements, which includes the County Road 90 intersection roundabout and center concrete barrier projects in Independence and Maple Plain.

2018 events

Early designs open house

Hennepin County, Minnesota Department of Transportation and the City of Independence hosted an open house for three safety improvements projects on October 2, 2018 at Independence City Hall.

The open house focused on providing residents with information of Hennepin County's County Road 92 intersection safety improvements project and MnDOT's Highway 12 and County Road 90 intersection safety improvements project.

Hennepin County

Minnesota Department of Transportation

  • Aaron Tag, P.E.
    Highway 12 corridor project manager for design
    aaron.tag@state.mn.us
    Phone: 612-234-7880 
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