St. Louis County Releases 2026 Road Construction Schedule, Projects Begin in May

S. White Iron Road will undergo full reconstruction for 68 consecutive days this summer under a project St. Louis County's Public Works Department has scheduled from May 18 to July 25, according to an updated Active Project List the county published April 1.

The CR 655 reconstruction is the most schedule-intensive entry on a list that also includes reclaim-and-overlay work on CSAH 44, known locally as Pequaywan Lake Road, along with Tischer Road and Maxwell Road. Reclaim-and-overlay is preservation-grade work, resurfacing rather than rebuilding a road bed, but it still generates lane closures and reduced speed limits during active phases, and multiple projects running simultaneously through the summer amplifies the cumulative impact on county travel.

Three sidewalk installations are also on the schedule: Central Avenue at CSAH 29, Spruce Street at CR 496, and Highway 133 at CSAH 133. Sidewalk construction routinely requires temporary pedestrian detours, which could complicate school-route access along those corridors if any work extends into late summer.

Near Proctor, the intersection of Midway Road (CSAH 13) and North Cloquet Road (CSAH 45) is listed for safety improvements. Intersection reconstruction at a named junction near a population center can temporarily alter signal timing, lane alignment, or turn configurations and stretch emergency response routes through the area while work is active.

Funding follows a layered structure: local levy dollars carry routine preservation work, state aid supplements larger reconstruction jobs, and federal grants apply to eligible projects. Projects dependent on federal allocations carry more cost exposure if material prices spike mid-construction, a risk most relevant to the CR 655 job given its hard July 25 completion target. Individual project pages on the county's engagement portal list specific funding sources and bid and contract status for each entry.

Residents can track all active projects at engage.stlouiscountymn.gov, where the county posts public hearing and open-house notices during design phases, giving property owners along affected routes a window to comment on sidewalk placement or intersection features before construction locks in a final plan.