County Road 81 Closure and Detour Causes Maple Grove Traffic Jams

The day after County Road 81 in Maple Grove was closed indefinitely, motorists taking the detour felt the impact.

A portion the (Bottineau Boulevard) roadway closed Tuesday, May 24 due to cleanup from a mudslide resulting from weekend rain. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the will continue through Memorial Day weekend.

With motorists taking the official detour off of County Road 81, the intersections of Fernbrook Lane/County Road 30 and Elm Creek Boulevard/County Road 30 became hot spots for traffic congestion. School/Community Relations Director Barbara Olson said the extra traffic made it “difficult” for buses to leave Maple Grove Senior High the afternoon of May 25.

As a result, it sent a domino effect into place, with buses arriving five to ten minutes late at Maple Grove Junior High and Osseo Junior High.

“They continued to lose a bit of time from then on, arriving at Fernbrook, Rush Creek and Weaver about 15-20 minutes late,” Olson said. Late activity buses at Brooklyn Junior High and Maple Grove Junior High were affected as well.

As the closure of County Road 81 continues, Olson indicated the district was continuing to monitor the situation to determine if further action might be needed.

The city of has been working with Hennepin County to help ease the flow of traffic through the intersections of Fernbrook Lane/County Road 30 as well as Elm Creek Boulevard/County Road 30 by changing the signal timing to allow more traffic to get through the intersections. According to Maple Grove Traffic Engineer Marc Culver, most of the roadways impacted by the County Road 81 closure are considered Hennepin County roadways.

There were “significant delays” for motorists the morning of May 26 as not all of the timing changes had been implemented before rush hour traffic, Culver indicated.

“We’re hoping it’s going to get better,” he said, adding there are concerns about afternoon traffic Friday, May 27 due to Memorial Day weekend.

“Unfortunately, there is not a lot we can do as far as trying to communicate to the public the best routes,” he said. “We’re doing our best to try to find alternate routes for people.”

 In addition to the official detour, the city suggested residents consider using Maple Grove Parkway instead of Fernbrook Lane if they are traveling eastbound.

“There are more lanes, the high school isn’t there and there are more options to get to County Road 30,” Culver said.

Police Captain Keith Terlinden said as the closure continues, the will likely have a presence in targeted areas.

“We understand the frustration,” Terlinden said, recommending motorists remain patient with the situation entering into Memorial Day weekend. “No matter what we do, there are going to be some traffic concerns.”