Lengthy I-35 Tree Clearing Project Underway In Northern Minnesota

Heads up if you drive on I-35 between Proctor Hinckley! There is now a beneficial project underway that isn't expected to impact your travel, necessarily, but it's worth being aware of in case roads are slippery or a roadside emergency occurs.

Earlier this week, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced that on Monday, November 6, they began a tree-clearing project along both the northbound and southbound lanes of I-35.

The tree clearing is taking place in two Northland sections of the highway. One section where MnDOT crews are working is between Proctor and Mahtowa, while the other is Willow River and Hinckley.

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MnDOT notes that this work is a federally funded safety project to remove trees within the clear zone. The reason that this is necessary is because the majority of vehicles that leave the roadway come to a stop within the clear zone, so having trees within that zone is extremely dangerous. The ultimate goal of removing hazards in that area is to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes throughout the year.

This tree-clearing project is expected to continue to continue through this winter. Again, MnDOT doesn't expect there to be any detours or any other traffic impacts associated with this project, but they want Northland motorists to be aware of equipment and crews on the shoulders of the road.

As winter weather arrives, which can cause challenging driving conditions, motorists should drive with extra caution whenever there are potential hazards on the shoulder of any road as they could come into play should a loss of control occur.

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