MnDOT using prefabricated parts for Highway 61 bridge

According to the latest issue of Finance & Commerce, MnDOT crews will replace the Highway 61 bridge in Lake City by assembling prefabricated components, including the deck, beams and substructures. Crews will fit them together like a puzzle at the project site.

MnDOT is using the prefabricated technique with the hope of minimizing traffic disruptions and to speed up construction. A department spokesman says it's one of the first projects of its kind for MnDOT and if successful, the technique could become more widely used.