Diffley Road Construction Closure Set For May

EAGAN, MN — Construction to narrow Diffley Road to one lane of traffic in each direction between Lexington Avenue and Braddock Trail is set to begin in May.

The full road will be closed from Daniel Drive to Braddock Trail from June 1 to August 27.

The construction will include adding roundabouts at Braddock Trail and Daniel Drive as well as parking lot improvements and new access points to Eagan High School. The project been in the works for around four years.

The project will also be adding rectangular rapid flashing beacons on the West side of the Marketplace entrance to the school, as well as the west sides of the Daniel Drive and Braddock Trail roundabouts. Community members have until February 15 to submit comments to the project feedback form.

The state bonding bill signed in October 2020 included $4 million for the project, with the total project costing over $5 million. An additional $1 million will be awarded to the project by Dakota County, $181,000 from the City of Eagan and $108,000 from Independent School District 196, according to information released during a public meeting Thursday night.

This project also includes the Safe Routes to School Plan, which works to ensure students from Northview Elementary School, Dakota Hills Middle School and Eagan High School can get to school safely. This spring, the focus will be on educating students about the new project, as well as creating discussion surrounding it.

The school sites are currently home to 14 acres of trees. Of these 14 acres, four will be impacted by the construction, with no plans to replant them. However, the trees will be replaced with natural grasses.

Ashley Hudson, team member of engineering firm Bolton and Menk, the firm awarded the design contract for the project, said that community members can expect consistent communication leading up to and during the construction.

Community members will have access to business access maps, school site access maps and weekly updates from the contractor, all shared via physical mailings or email and website updates.

Once construction is completed, a speed study is set to take place to get recommendations on whether or not to change speed limits.

Chris Cromy, the meeting's host and an engineer at Bolton and Menk, expressed gratitude at how involved the community has been.

“Public engagement has been essential to shaping this project,” Cromy said.