Photo by Deb Gau Barricades are still up on Minnesota Highway 68 between Marshall and Minneota – but they should be coming down at the end of the week, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said Tuesday. Work on the project to widen the highway shoulders is nearing completion.

MARSHALL — Construction that closed off part of Minnesota Highway 68 this summer is coming to an end in a couple of days, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said.

The highway between Marshall and Minneota is set to reopen by the end of the day Friday, MnDOT said.

The construction included work to widen the shoulders on about 11 miles of Highway 68 between Minneota and Marshall. The highway now has an additional 4 feet of gravel shoulder on each side of the road.

Culvert replacements and drainage repairs, both between Minneota and Marshall and near the city of Porter, were also completed as part of the project.

MnDOT said the $9.2 million construction project will help improve safety and drainage along Highway 68.

Detours on Highway 68 will remain in place this week to protect work crews while they complete cleanup and punch list items for the construction project, MnDOT said. Travelers might notice detour signs along the road until they are removed next week. However, once the road barricades are pulled to the side, the highway will be open.

The Highway 68 project got off to a late start this summer due to issues relocating utility lines along the roadway. Construction was originally planned to start in May, but was delayed until July. Once the project got underway, however, it made progress. Paving, grading and topsoil placement between Marshall and Minneota were underway in September.