Chisago County has begun work on County Road 17 (Athens Trail) from the west county line to County Road 30.

The project kicked off with the removal of the old bridge over I-35 on June 2 and 3.

The detour of the Interstate that weekend is the only significant impact that will occur to I-35, although there will continue to be periodic closures of single lanes for worker safety or delivery of materials.

CR 17 will be closed to traffic throughout the construction season. Residents along the corridor will be provided access at all times.

A separate project is being completed on Isanti County Road 9, immediately west of the Chisago County project. Both projects utilize the same detour which connects CR 9 with I-35 at Stacy.

The reconstruction will impact intersections along CR 17 including Falcon Avenue, creating a barrier to north/south traffic at certain times. Users of Falcon Avenue will need to travel on I-35 or other local roads during these times.

The CR 17 project includes widening the roadway to current standards, constructing a new bridge over I-35, adding turn lanes, building a wetland mitigation site, constructing a Park and Ride lot, and adding a diamond interchange with ramps to and from I-35 in both directions.

The project is expected to be complete around Nov. 1 of this year. If you have questions about the CR 17 project, you can reach the countyís consulting engineer, SEH, at (651) 490-2110.