MANKATO, Minn.- (5 p.m.) Highway 169 between St. Peter and LeSueur is now open to traffic; however a four mile segment north of St. Peter is restricted to one lane each way on the southbound lanes as Mn/DOT readies to repair the flood-damaged northbound lanes.

Highway 93 from Highway 169 to LeSueur will open around 5:30 p.m.

The Highway 99 bridge east of St. Peter will open to motorists around 6 p.m. The historic steel truss bridge on Highway 99 over the Minnesota River has been given a thorough inspection and is safe to carry traffic. The sidewalk on the Highway 99 bridge will be closed until a section of broken railing can be repaired. Pedestrians are asked to avoid using the Highway 99 bridge until the sidewalk is safe for their use.

Mn/DOT officials advise motorists to plan on a few weeks before the washed out northbound lanes of Highway 169 will be reconstructed and open to traffic.

The following state highways are OPEN
· Highway 22 south of St. Peter

· Highway 93 from Highway 169 to LeSueur

· Highway 99 east of St. Peter (sidewalk on bridge closed)

· Highway 169 from Mankato to St. Peter

· Highway 169 in St. Peter by Union Street

· Highway 169 from St. Peter to LeSueur (with lane restrictions)


The following state highways remain CLOSED:
· Highway 19 from Highway 169 to Henderson

· Highway 66 south of Mankato (due to Red Jacket Trestle damage)

· Highway 93 from Highway 169 to Henderson


Motorists will need to use alternative routes until further notice.

Motorists should plan accordingly. When a road is closed it is illegal to travel in that area. Motorists can be fined up to $1,000 and/or 90 days in jail. In addition, if travelers need to be rescued from a closed road, other expenses and penalties will apply.

For updated information, call 511 or visit www.511mn.org.

From Fox 9

ST. PETER, Minn. - Highway 169 is flowing again south of LeSueur, but there is still 150 foot piece missing

It looks just like an earthquake had hit, says June Huffman o St. Peter.

Recent flooding caused a portion of northbound Hwy 169 between St. Peter and LeSueur to wash out and collapse.

Gordon Regenscheid with MnDOT says they believe when the flood waters rose up it found a weak spot in the slope or the dirt bank and got under the grass and started mining under the pavement. Finally it just sucked all the dirt out and the pavement just dropped into a hole.

Repairs should cost about $250,000 and take a month to fix.

We already have in place an emergency contract which allows us get some quotes from contractors without waiting the full three week bidding and all that, which will save about a month in just the process,says Regenscheid.

In the meantime MnDOT is allowing traffic to flow in both directions on the southbound side of the highway.

Regenscheid says surrounding farmland plays a big role in the reason Highway 169 is often covered with a dirt dike. The watershed area has been changing for years, says Regenscheid.

Many years ago there was an effort to reduce the farming up to say the river bank to eliminate erosion going into the river. Well when they stop farming a lot of trees grow up. And so now those trees are slowing the water down, so when these events happen it piles up deeper because the water is moving slower. They can't run off as fast.

Lon you don't mention CR 6 anywhere here. Is this open now?