11th Street underpass: "Soft" reopening on 1st Avenue North for east/west traffic

Minnesota Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 10/10/2025 01:14 PM CDT

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11th Street underpass: 2024-2026 construction

Construction progress: October 2025

By 4 p.m. today, Oct. 10, one lane will reopen each way on First Avenue North! Drivers will be able to travel east and west; however, the north/south side streets (10th, 11th and 12th Streets) will remain closed and detoured to allow construction crews to finish pavement and sidewalk construction.

This is an exciting milestone in our three-year construction schedule! Big THANK YOU to First Avenue businesses, residents and commuters for your continued patience through the closure. We expect all lanes to reopen in November.

While paving is complete on First Avenue North and one lane will reopen in each direction, east and west, there's still work to be done in this area. The right lane remains closed to allow crews to continue to work on the boulevards, sidewalks and the traffic signal system. At 10th, 11th and 12th Streets, paving and other concrete work remain too.

Work at the lift station is mostly complete, with just a few punch list items to check off, including a final inspection before the lift station can be turned on.

BNSF completed their work at the KO bridge and trains have been switched back to the mainline railroad. With trains now running on the mainline railroad at both bridges, excavation underneath both the Hillsboro and KO bridges is underway! Crews are still driving pile for retaining walls, and finishing up final connections of storm pipes so everything drains to the pump station.

And finally on Main Avenue, with mainline paving done, concrete crews are working on curb, gutter and sidewalks. Paving on 11th Street south will take place too. There's still have several weeks of work to complete on Main Avenue before the road can reopen to traffic. Thanks for your continued patience!

PLAN AHEAD: Once all lanes are reopened on First Avenue North in November, we expect the closure on Center Avenue will follow. From November 2025 through November 2026, Center Avenue will close between 10th and 14th Streets for the last stage of the underpass construction.

Crews prepare for a soft reopening on First Avenue North. The right lane will remain closed in both directions, but traffic can travel east/west on First Avenue North starting the evening of Oct 10

Main Avenue mainline paving is done, but concrete crews remain on site to finish curb, gutter and sidewalks

Excavations continue at the Hillsboro bridge, with pile driving for nearby retaining walls.

Trains are back on the mainline track at the KO bridge and excavations underneath have started.

Next Coffee & Construction: Oct. 21

Join us at our next Coffee & Construction public meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 9 a.m., at the Hjemkomst Center, 202 1st Ave N.

Representatives from MnDOT, Ames Construction and the city of Moorhead will share updates and answer questions about the current progress on the 11th Street underpass. We'll see you there!

Can't make it? At any time, you can contact the 11th Street Underpass hotline number at 218-292-8779.

Other reminders

Train horns have resumed in the Downtown Quiet Zone during construction hours (Monday - Friday, 6am - 7pm). This is a requirement of the railroad, and we appreciate your understanding as worker safety is prioritized.
Moorhead businesses are open during construction! If your destination falls within/near the work zone or along the detour routes, please check in with the business to determine the best route there.
Never enter an area that's blocked by barriers or cones. It is not safe to drive, walk or bike around barricades, even in areas where workers aren't present or active. Those boundaries are set up for your safety. There are signed detours installed for both motorists and pedestrians. Please use those routes.
There may be other projects in Moorhead that could affect your travel routes, so please check in with the City of Moorhead for plans and impacts. Visit their website or follow the City of Moorhead on Facebook.

More information

Please report any issues to the 11th Street Underpass hotline number at 218-292-8779.

For more information about this project, visit the project website at mndot.gov/d4/projects/moorhead11thstunderpass.

If you need an ASL, a foreign language interpreter, or documents in an alternative format please contact Janet Miller at 651-366-4720 (711 or 1-800-627-3529 for MN Relay). If you need any other reasonable accommodation to participate, please email your request to ADArequest.dot@state.mn.us.

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