Head-to-head traffic starts on I-94 near Evansville

Drivers on I-94 between Evansville and the Grant/Otter Tail county line lost a lane in each direction as MnDOT shifted the highway into head-to-head traffic for the next phase of work. The change affects the stretch from east of Highway 79 near Evansville to the County Road 26 overpass, and it is the kind of setup that will slow down commuters, farm traffic and summer travelers moving between Otter Tail and Grant counties.

MnDOT said westbound traffic will be routed onto the eastbound lanes when resurfacing begins, with reduced speeds, lane shifts and limited shoulders in the work zone. The agency expects the head-to-head traffic pattern to stay in place until October, when the project will pause for winter and both directions will reopen to two lanes. For drivers who use I-94 to reach Evansville, Brandon or points west toward Alexandria, the practical effect is simple: plan for longer drive times and tighter passing margins through the corridor.

The project is a 2026 westbound concrete resurfacing job on Interstate 94, and Central Specialties, Inc., of Alexandria is the prime contractor. MnDOT put the contract value at $18.8 million. Before resurfacing started, crews were building crossovers, replacing guardrail and installing traffic control devices to prepare the highway for one-lane traffic in both directions.

MnDOT is also telling motorists to watch for changing conditions and real-time traffic displays and to use the zipper merge in the work zone. The work began with lane closures on this same corridor in May, and it follows earlier lane-closure activity east of Evansville in August 2025 between Evansville and Brandon, another reminder that this stretch of I-94 has been a steady construction zone for more than a year.

Drivers with questions about the project can contact Andy Krog at MnDOT, 218-850-0003. Media inquiries go to Emma Olson in MnDOT Public Affairs. With one lane in each direction now carrying the traffic that normally uses four lanes, the safest move is to slow down early, stay alert at the crossovers and expect congestion to build where westbound traffic joins the eastbound side.