Navigating the cone maze

Come one and all, we challenge you to a new kind of maze!

In place of corn we have cones. That's right, at least a 100 of those orange and white plastic markers line the U.S. Hwy. 281 frontage, and they'll probably remain there until the end of October.

The detour routes have been in place now for about a week, and it sure has been interesting. As residents and visitors approach Hwy. 281, their decades-old habits of traveling both ways on the frontage roads and accessing businesses from their front parking lots die hard. Now one-way arrows, stop signs and "Road Closed" barriers force them to learn new ways to get around.

Here are three important things to know about navigating the construction zone:

1) Motorists traveling on the one-way bypasses have the right of way.

2) Traffic entering the bypasses from the city streets must STOP and wait for the vehicles traveling on the frontage road.

3) There is no parking allowed on the frontage roads during this phase of the construction.

The Transcript produced a two-part series of videos illustrating how to navigate the highway frontage. They are available to view on our Facebook page, The New Rockford Transcript. 

Workers with Naastad Brothers, Inc. arrived back in New Rockford on Wednesday and began installing storm sewer pipe in the highway ditches. Once the pipe is installed, they will reslope the ditch area to create a much more friendly grade from the highway to the frontage roads.  

Border States Paving will follow, widening the shoulders of the highway and adding a 2 inch asphalt overlay to the existing highway surface.

While digging Wednesday around 5:15 p.m., crews hit a water main near the Third Avenue Northeast and First Street intersection. Crews worked until Thursday afternoon to repair the break and restore water to neighborhood homes and businesses.