Prairie Center Drive repairs start next week, detours in July

Repaving of Prairie Center Drive near Purgatory Creek Park begins the week of June 24, with the first detour expected around July 8.

Completion of the project – which also includes traffic signal improvements – is expected by late September, according to the City of Eden Prairie.

Repaving Prairie Center Drive between Highway 212 and Flying Cloud Drive is a challenging project for the city and its paving contractor, Northwest Asphalt, because portions of the road are the city’s busiest in terms of traffic, and commercial businesses are along the route. Northwest Asphalt has a $2.8 million contract with the city to complete the work.

About 20,000 vehicles travel daily on Prairie Center Drive between Highway 212 and Singletree Lane, according to a 2020 city estimate.

Advertisement

The city has “absolutely” pledged to keep access to adjacent businesses open, even as work takes place out those businesses’ front doors, said Adam Gadbois, assistant city engineer. At times, directional road closures will force motorists to reach a business from another direction. But, one side of Prairie Center Drive or the other will remain open throughout the project.

Alternatives include Flying Cloud Drive and east-west streets such as Regional Center Road, Singletree Lane, Middleset Road, and Commonwealth Drive. “So we encourage the use of other routes,” Gadbois said.

Detours and signage will vary by project stage, which currently has six stages. Gadbois invited people to stay abreast of the project’s stages and detours by using the city’s website and signing up for email updates on the project.

The various stages are either south or north of Technology Drive’s intersection with Prairie Center Drive. Gadbois says that shortens the timeline for work between Highway 212 and Technology Drive, which is helpful because there’s a lot of traffic coming off of Highway 212 onto Prairie Center Drive.

Advertisement

However, the first segment scheduled for detours starting July 8 is southbound Prairie Center Drive from Technology Drive to Flying Cloud Drive. Motorists will need to use northbound Prairie Center Drive to reach many businesses on the west side of the street.

Before July 8, you are likely to see construction crews doing utility work along Prairie Center Drive, although one lane may be closed at times. Gadbois said some stormwater inlets – also referred to as manholes and catch basins – need to be rebuilt before paving.

Weather, of course, helps determine the schedule. Although a number of rain days are built into that schedule, prolonged rainy weather could extend the project, Gadbois said.