Lake County seeks bids for Hwy 2 resurfacing between Reeves, Wales roads

Lake County is seeking bids to resurface Hwy 2 between Reeves Road and Wales Road, a project that will keep the corridor open but is expected to bring short delays for commuters, school buses and freight moving through Two Harbors and the North Shore.

The work covers Hwy 2, also known as CSAH 2, from Reeves Road, or UT 42, to Wales Road, or CSAH 14. Lake County says the road will remain open to all traffic during construction, with delays of up to 10 minutes during active work or daylight hours. Driveway access is expected to stay open as well, except for short interruptions tied to adjacent paving or pavement removal, usually lasting less than an hour and happening over four to six days.

The county highway department was accepting electronic bids for State Project SP 038-602-035 until 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026. Bid proposals are to be opened and read publicly shortly after the deadline at the Lake County Service Center in Two Harbors, with a video conference option available for those who want to watch remotely. The project is also listed as Federal Project STBG 3826 (248), with a final completion date of October 31, 2026.

According to the bid listing, the job includes bituminous milling, bituminous surfacing and aggregate shouldering. The project also carries a federal DBE goal, a requirement that can shape which contractors participate and how Lake County manages its construction spending. Paper bids are not accepted, and the county says bid solicitations can be viewed without fee through Bid Express with an account.

Lake County’s highway department says it handles the design, administration and inspection of county road and bridge projects, and the agency says contractors must follow the stated wage scales, special provisions and bid security rules. The notice requires a 5 percent surety bond or equivalent bid security and gives the county authority to reject any bid, part of a bid or all bids, or to waive defects if that serves Lake County’s best interest.

The resurfacing is one piece of a broader 2026 road program that also includes other major transportation work, signaling that county dollars are being spread across several high-priority corridors at once. For travelers on Hwy 2, the main message is straightforward: the route is staying open, but the paving season will bring temporary slowdowns before the pavement is reset for the long term.