"Commerce Cir./Catlin St.: construct a roundabout – open"
That line comes from a MnDOT project bulletin sent on Aug. 18, 2026. It sits in a status list where the Co. Rd. 37 roundabout and the rebuilt 3rd Avenue were also marked "open." So by mid-August, the Buffalo end of the new Highway 25 was already handling traffic. Wright County says the full corridor should open to normal traffic between Buffalo and Monticello in late October. That date marks the end of the detour. Most of the new road has been arriving piece by piece since summer.
If you drive between the two towns every week, the useful information isn't the reopening date. It's the list of junctions that now work differently, and the few that won't work at all anymore.
The new road came back in pieces
When people say "Hwy 25 reopens," it sounds like everything happens on one day. MnDOT's own updates show a staged handoff:
- Aug. 17: Hwy 25 reopened to local traffic south of Wright Co. Rd. 83, which is 35th Street, into Buffalo. MnDOT kept it as an active work zone with reduced speeds and periodic lane or shoulder closures through October.
- Aug. 21: Through traffic returned from the Co. Rd. 37 roundabout north to Monticello.
- Sept. 8: At the Buffalo City Council meeting, the city engineer reported Hwy 25 open from Buffalo to County Road 83 and from County Road 37 to Monticello, with the remaining closure expected to open in October.
- Sept. 25: Wright County's roundabout at Co. Rd. 113 opened to east-west traffic.
- Late October: The project is expected to be fully complete and open to normal Hwy 25 traffic between the two towns.
That leaves the stretch between County Road 83 and County Road 37 as the last closed piece. The signed detour for through traffic still runs on Hwy 55 at Buffalo, Wright Co. Rd. 12 and Co. Rd. 37. MnDOT has kept access open within the closed zone for people who live, work or visit there, though it warns that hard closures happen at times while crews work under the road, rebuild entrances and build roundabouts. As of the Sept. 25 notice, late October is still the most recent official forecast. MnDOT points drivers to 511mn.org for current conditions.
Driving the new corridor, Buffalo to Monticello
The project covers about seven miles, from Catlin Street in Buffalo to Kjellberg Court at the south edge of Monticello. Starting from the Buffalo end, here's what has changed.
Catlin Street and Commerce Circle
The trip now starts at a roundabout. The roundabout at Hwy 25 and Catlin Street is one of three new ones in the project. It was open by mid-August. Earlier in the season, in July, the only way to reach Catlin Street and Commerce Circle was Third Avenue NE. Drivers who got used to that workaround now have a direct junction again, with a different shape than the one they knew.
Anderson Avenue, Third Avenue and the hospital
MnDOT's project scope rebuilds both 3rd Avenue and Anderson Avenue where they meet Hwy 25. Anderson Avenue's connection to Hwy 25 closed on Aug. 17 for reconstruction, and MnDOT expected that work to finish before Labor Day weekend. During the closure, drivers were told to use Catlin Street or Third Ave. NE to reach Anderson Avenue or the hospital.
Hospital access has come up in every update. MnDOT's project page says Buffalo's hospital and ER stay open and reachable by side streets marked with blue "H" signs. Allina Health says Buffalo Hospital and its campus clinics remain open and accessible during the Hwy 25 work. The blue "H" signs are the most reliable guide until the corridor is fully reopened.
Lake Pulaski Drive and the turn lanes in between
North of town, most of the changes are turn lanes, which never make headlines. MnDOT's scope adds a right-turn lane at Lake Pulaski Drive, County Road 41, and a right and left turn lane at Westridge Court. It also adds left-turn lanes at 55th St. NE and at the south junction of Wright Co. Rd. 131. As of the Aug. 18 bulletin, all of those were "in progress." The public project material doesn't describe a separate closure or detour for Lake Pulaski Drive. It covers the turn-lane work and general work-zone access.
A dedicated turn lane matters most when you're the car waiting to turn. Until now, a left turn off a two-lane highway left the traffic behind you braking at 55 mph. The new lanes move turning cars out of the through lane.
The Co. Rd. 37 and Co. Rd. 113 roundabouts
The middle of the corridor has two roundabouts. MnDOT built the one at Co. Rd. 37, which has been open since summer. Through traffic north to Monticello resumed from it on Aug. 21. Wright County built the other, at Co. Rd. 113, on a July-to-late-fall 2026 schedule. It opened east-west on Sept. 25. MnDOT's current page notes that the Co. Rd. 113 roundabout is open to Co. Rd. 113 while Hwy 25 stays closed, so follow the local-access signs. Once the corridor opens fully, that roundabout will carry Hwy 25 traffic too.
Over the summer, a temporary signal at County Road 37 and County Road 117, Edmonson Avenue NE, handled access to Co. Rd. 113 while the county built the roundabout.
Davidson Avenue SE, Kjellberg Court and the new path
The north end has the one change that removes something. In the Aug. 18 bulletin, Davidson Ave. SE is listed as "access permanently closed." The road reconstruction ends just north of Davidson Avenue. If you used Davidson as your turn onto or off of Hwy 25, that route is gone for good. Plan a different one now instead of finding out after the cones are gone.
Just south of Kjellberg Court, MnDOT is adding a U-turn and an extended shoulder, a design the agency calls a "loon." It gives drivers a set place to reverse direction without crossing traffic at an open intersection.
The corridor also has new pedestrian and bike connections. MnDOT's accessibility plan includes updated or new pedestrian crossings at all three roundabouts. It also adds a trail connection along northbound Hwy 25 from Co. Rd. 106, which is 85th Street NE, to Kjellberg Court. The Monticello Times describes it as a paved shared-use path, separated from traffic, on the east side of Hwy 25 between 85th Street and Kjellberg Court, for pedestrians and bicyclists. None of the published material says whether it ties into other trails, so check the ends in person before planning a longer ride.
Why the pavement feels different
Crews didn't haul out the old highway and truck in new material. They used Stabilized Full Depth Reclamation, which MnDOT abbreviates SFDR. Machines grind up the old asphalt and some of the gravel underneath. Cement or asphalt emulsion gets mixed in to strengthen that recycled base, and the mix is compacted before a new layer of asphalt goes on top. MnDOT says the method cuts waste and truck traffic and produces a stronger, longer-lasting road. The SFDR work runs from Catlin Street to north of Davidson Avenue and includes shoulders and turn lanes. The deep excavation and big equipment explain why whole segments had to close instead of running one lane with flaggers.
The price changed too. Before construction, Monticello Times coverage of MnDOT's Oct. 9, 2025 open house reported a tentative $15.5 million estimate. It said the plans were preliminary until a contractor was hired. By August 2026, MnDOT was calling it an $11.4 million project.
What's still unfinished after late October
Reopening to normal traffic doesn't mean the crews are gone. Here's what MnDOT has said about the work that remains:
- Pavement markings: Temporary striping stays until final markings and rumble/mumble strips go in "this fall."
- Wrap-up work: MnDOT's tentative schedule lists "late fall 2026" for wrap-up, with periodic lane or shoulder closures.
- Road surface: Until then, MnDOT says to expect gravel or grooved surfaces, no shoulders, and flaggers running one-way traffic in places.
- Speeding fines: Speeding in a work zone carries a $300 fine.
MnDOT hasn't announced anything pushing the remaining work to spring 2027. Its updates still put all of it in fall 2026.
The timing lines up with a busy stretch on the Buffalo calendar. The Buffalo Area Chamber lists Ladies Day Out on Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring more than 25 Buffalo shops. Trick or Treat at participating businesses runs Oct. 31 from 2 to 4 p.m. Depending on when the final segment opens, guests coming down from Monticello could still be on the detour, or on brand-new pavement with temporary striping. MnDOT's advice to tell visitors the best route before they leave applies to that weekend too.
If you live near one of the new roundabouts or turn lanes, or near the Davidson Ave. SE closure, the new access can change how your home gets used and how buyers see it. At The Realty Lab, we follow these corridor changes closely, and we're glad to walk through what they mean for your property. Request Your Free Home Valuation, and we'll include how the new Hwy 25 access works at your address.