Fergus Falls I-94 interchange project stays on schedule despite heat

The Highway 210 and Interstate 94 interchange work in Fergus Falls stayed on schedule this week, even as heat and a crowded work zone tested crews at one of Otter Tail County’s most important travel connections.

MnDOT resident engineer Jesse Miller said multiple crews were working at once on underground piping, storm sewer, culverts, bridge piling, the west abutment and reconstruction of the west-side on- and off-ramps. That layered approach has turned the west junction into a coordinated construction zone rather than a single-road project, with pipe crews, bridge crews and ramp crews moving through different parts of the corridor at the same time.

For drivers, the immediate impact has been clear. The interchange ramps are closed to all travelers during construction, while Highway 210 remains open for east-west traffic with one lane in each direction on the south bridge. MnDOT has routed Highway 210 traffic to County Road 1 and Tower Road through October, and overnight Interstate 94 closures for bridge demolition were planned for up to three nights beginning May 4. Those detours continue to shape fuel stops, shopping trips and commutes across Fergus Falls.

The work area is easy to picture for anyone driving past Redwood Lane, Walmart or Mable Murphy’s. The project is changing how traffic moves through a corridor that links residential streets, retail traffic and regional highway travel, making the short-term inconvenience hard to ignore for businesses and travelers who depend on a predictable route through town.

MnDOT has said the 2026 reconstruction will replace the existing two bridges with a single bridge structure, reduce the roadway from four lanes to two, and add trails on both sides for pedestrians and bicyclists. Three roundabouts are planned at the interchange ramps and Redwood Lane. The westbound I-94 off-ramp will be realigned for a flatter approach, and the eastbound on-ramp will be shifted for easier merging.

The agency put the project cost at $18.6 million and named Park Construction of Minneapolis as the prime contractor. MnDOT expected construction to begin April 27, after an April 23 open house at the AmericInn by Wyndham in Fergus Falls. Fergus Now said traffic was shifting from both bridges to the south bridge during construction, then back again later, with completion still targeted for October. For Fergus Falls and the surrounding county, the payoff is a rebuilt gateway designed to improve safety, traffic flow and long-term access along a route that carries daily commuters, freight and summer travelers alike.