MnDOT Plans 2026 Reconstruction of I-94, Highway 210 Interchange Near Fergus Falls

The on- and off-ramps at the Interstate 94 and Highway 210 interchange west of Fergus Falls will close entirely this spring, funneling every driver, freight hauler, and emergency vehicle that normally uses that gateway into the city onto County Road 1 and Tower Road for the duration of a five-month, $18.6 million reconstruction.

Minnesota Department of Transportation will begin work in May 2026 on one of the more disruptive projects the area has seen in years. The agency will demolish the existing pair of bridges at the interchange and replace them with a single structure, shrink the roadway from four lanes to two, and install roundabouts at the interchange ramps and at Redwood Lane. The I-94 eastbound on-ramp and westbound off-ramp will also be realigned: the westbound tie-in will be rebuilt to a flatter grade, and the eastbound ramp will be reconfigured for easier merging onto the interstate.

During the full construction window, which runs through October 2026, the I-94 ramps will be closed to all travelers. Highway 210 itself will stay open for east-west traffic. Drivers crossing through the work zone should expect a lane shift to one side of the bridge and a reduction to one lane in each direction. For those entering or leaving the interstate at this interchange, the only named alternate is the County Road 1/Tower Road detour. That rerouting matters most for westbound commuters heading home from Fergus Falls in the afternoon, for truckers timing warehouse and retail deliveries on the city's west side, and for emergency responders whose response windows tighten whenever a primary ramp corridor goes offline.

The physical redesign also addresses a longstanding safety gap. The rebuilt interchange will carry pedestrian and bicycle trails on both sides of the roadway, replacing a gap that currently leaves anyone on foot with no protected path through the interchange. The ramp geometry changes, including the flatter westbound approach grade, target conflict points built into the original interchange design.

MnDOT accepted bids through a November 2025 letting. The $18.6 million estimate covers the reconstruction, though the agency has not published a breakdown of federal and state funding shares.

Residents can review the project timeline and detour maps in person at an open house MnDOT is holding on Thursday, April 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the AmericInn by Wyndham, 526 Western Ave. in Fergus Falls. MnDOT says no formal presentation is planned; anyone who wants to ask questions can stop in at any point during the two-hour window. Project email updates are available through MnDOT's project page, and the agency has set up dedicated email lists for projects with multiple construction stages and detours across the region.

The Hwy 210/I-94 rebuild is one of roughly 25 road and bridge projects MnDOT has scheduled across central Minnesota in 2026. Directly relevant to Otter Tail County, the Hwy 10, 29 and 71 corridor through Wadena is already in its second of three seasons, running through August 2027 with multiple detours expected.