HENDERSON — The number of state highways impacted by flooding in the area should be down to one — Highway 93 near Le Sueur — by sometime Wednesday.
Highway 19 between Henderson and Highway 169 was set to open to traffic at 4 p.m. Tuesday, although with a 7-ton weight restriction for at least a week, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said. Detour signs will be removed over the next few days.
And Highway 169 should have all lanes open soon.
“MnDOT is currently removing the dike along northbound Highway 169 near Le Sueur,” the agency announced Tuesday. “There will continue to be a lane closure until the dike is completely removed on Wednesday, July 10.”
After that, the only flood-related closure of a state highway in south-central Minnesota will be Highway 93 leading into Le Sueur — a road segment that experienced substantial damage when the Minnesota River flowed over it for the first time in history.
“The highway will remain closed until the necessary repairs are made,” according to MnDOT.
Flooding closed portions of nearly three dozen state highways in MnDOT’s Mankato-headquartered District 7 following record-setting June rainfall. Although virtually all are now open to traffic, weight restrictions remain in place on some.
The reopening of Highway 19 is particularly welcome for Henderson, which had temporarily been without three of its four major access points. That was because Highway 93 serving the town from the south and Sibley County Road 6 serving it from the north were already closed for scheduled construction projects even before the flooding occurred.