Mantorville celebrates reopening of Hwy 57

Mantorville residents and businesses celebrated the completion of the Highway 57 reconstruction project last Thursday with a ribbon cutting ceremony a day before the Marigold Days celebration. The highway, which runs through downtown Mantorville officially reopened for traffic on Aug. 18.
Work on the project began in April as the city worked on infrastructure improvements in the roadway before the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) took over the highway reconstruction work. There were also improvements to sidewalks and lighting along the highway.
Traffic was detoured around Mantorville throughout the summer with the area access limited to local traffic only.
City officials, business owners, MnDOT officials, and contractors were joined by local residents for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
In remarks before cutting the ribbon, Mantorville Mayor Chuck Bradford said that the construction had impacted all the businesses in the city, but the project involved much more than just the road as infrastructure improvements were made. Even though it was a hit on the business community the city now has a beautiful road and infrastructure, and safety concerns have been addressed.
He said he hoped it would bring even more people to downtown Mantorville and be an opportunity for them to explore the opportunities.
Lynette Nash, owner of the Chocolate Shoppe located on the highway, echoed the mayor’s sentiments.
“Now I have a beautiful sidewalk,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to repeat this summer, but it’s great now.”
Michelle Douk, who along with husband Wa Phy, just celebrated the five years they have owned the County Seat Coffeehouse across from the Chocolate Shoppe, said she was glad the work has been completed and thanked everyone for their continued support of the business. It’s really important to support small businesses, she said.
Also attending the ribbon cutting were the areas two state legislators, Sen. Carla Nelson and State Rep. Duane Quam.
Nelson called the ribbon cutting a “joyous day” and complemented the community for working “so diligently with MnDOT to get the project done.