ROCHESTER, Minn. – A great deal of construction work starts Monday that will alter traffic in Olmsted County.

Underground utility work related to the Heart of the City project and the 1st Street NW Sanitary Sewer Diversion to Broadway in Rochester will have the following impacts through August 17:

• Westbound traffic on Center Street will be allowed to turn right onto northbound 1 Avenue NW.

• Southbound traffic on 1 Avenue NW will be allowed to turn right onto westbound Center Street.

• The intersection of Center Street and 1 Avenue NW/SW will be closed to through traffic.

Then beginning on Wednesday:

• Broadway Avenue North from Center Street to Civic Center Drive will be open to one lane of traffic in each direction.

• 3 Street NW will be closed from 2 Avenue NW to Broadway Avenue until September 30, 2020. The intersection of 3 Street NW and 1 Avenue NW is expected to reopen for north/south traffic on August 24, 2020.

Crews will also be reconstructing several bridge joints along Hwy 14 westbound between Marion Road and 11th Avenue SE, where the road crosses Bear Creek in southeastern Rochester. That will reduce traffic to one lane until August 20. The Minnesota Department of Transportation says delays are possible, especially during morning and afternoon commuting times. This stretch of Highway 14 sees around 23,100 drivers a day.

And Highway 52 in Oronoco will see left lane closures in both directions, producing possible traffic delays during peak driving times, as crews work to strengthen and protect the piers of the bridges over the South Branch Middle Fork Zumbro River. This work is expected to last through October 30 and this portion of Highway 52 sees an average of 33,000 vehicles a day. The work zone will be about one mile long.