Mankato, Minnesota — Many people from Sheldon and greater northwest Iowa travel from this area toward the Twin Cities, often taking Highway 60 to Mankato and then Highway 169 to the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.
Here’s a little heads-up that that trip is going to take a little longer this summer. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (known as MnDOT) is advising motorists traveling on Highway 60 that there is now a detour in place near Lake Crystal. Lake Crystal is about 45 miles northeast of Windom or about 12 miles southwest of Mankato.
Through traffic will be detoured to County Road 13 and Highway 169 during construction. The good news is the detour only adds three miles and a few minutes to the trip. It starts near Medelia and meets back up with Highway 60 just south of Mankato.
MnDOT tells us construction is expected to continue until the completion of the project this fall. Schedules are subject to change depending on weather and other circumstances.
The project includes reconstructing Highway 60 from Blue Earth County Road 20 to Blue Earth County Road 112 and utility replacement in coordination with the City of Lake Crystal. The project also includes bridge repairs, intersection improvements, construction of a pedestrian trail, and lighting.
