RICHFIELD, Minn. — Westbound Highway 62 was closed Tuesday night from Interstate 35W in Richfield and stretching about seven miles to Highway 100 in Edina.
The closure could last until Thursday afternoon, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
“It’s a huge deal because it’s the main connector between the suburbs and the cities for people getting to and from work,” said Megan Sheats, who runs Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm in Edina, close to the highway.
The Minnesota State Patrol says a truck hauling metal beams hit and damaged a pedestrian bridge just east of Hwy. 100. No one was hurt.
When traffic got diverted Tuesday, Len Levine’s 15-minute trip to Untiedt’s Farm took nearly triple the time.
“All of a sudden we couldn’t believe it,” Levine said. “We got into traffic that was standing still, and there was no notice. We didn’t know what was going on.”
Levine happens to be a former MnDOT commissioner.
“It’s going to be heavily congested on neighborhood streets and it’s going to cause backup on 494 as well,” he said.
Traffic worries aside, the women who run Untiedt’s say making the bridge safe again is what’s most important.
“I hope they take their good time, get it done right, do it right the first time,” said Whitney Aune. “No reason to mess up a bridge in Minnesota.”
This isn’t the first time this year this bridge has been damaged. A vehicle hit it in January, and the bridge closed for an extended period of time.
Source: CBS Minnesota
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