FAIRMONT – One of several projects being done around I-90 across Minnesota, resurfacing of Highway 15 from Goemann Road to 10th Street began in Fairmont on Monday.

The project begins by Walmart and stretches to the intersection near Militello Motors and Heartland Tire. Fairmont Civil Engineer Tyler Cowing said the project is a mill and overlay to extend the life of the pavement throughout this section.

“MnDOT did a project throughout this whole city of Fairmont on Highway 15 in 2017,” he said. “This portion in particular has not held up like they anticipated. They’ve added this project recently to get rid of some of the rutting, potholes and deficiencies within this road.”

A mill and overlay involves grinding up and removing the surface layer of asphalt that has incurred damage, and then replacing it with a brand new top layer, without having to remove all of the road surface below. With this, none of the roads will be closed during this project. Portions will be closed over time, turning two-lane traffic into one lane.

Cowing said these types of projects are usually meant to be more spread out.

“Generally speaking, your mill and overlay type of projects on a state highway like this, they anticipate them to last in the neighborhood of 15 years,” he said. “This one in particular has seen some abuse. That’s why it’s getting done much sooner.”

Unlike a city road project, Highway 15 is completely handled and operated by the state of Minnesota.

“This project is funded by the state,” Cowing said. “The contract is run through the state as well. The city has no control over how it’s done or what contractors or anything like that.”

Communications were had regarding the best time to do this project. Cowing said the beginning of August was selected due to the contractor’s window and avoiding disruption of potential events.

“We weren’t aware of anything in particular other than the county fair coming up,” he said. “Being that’s on the opposite side of town, we didn’t feel like that was going to be a major disruption.”

During this time of construction, Cowing said patience is the best advice he can give for what comes with slowdowns and lane restrictions.

“Drive slow, maintain a safe level of travel and be courteous around all the construction crews out there. They’re trying to improve the road for you. If you can be courteous around them, it’ll go a long way in making the project go smoothly.”

The project is contracted to be completed in 21 working days, and barring any weather events, should be done by late August. For current road information, visit 511mn.org.