One block at a time

One by one, the historic blocks are being removed, repaired and placed right back where they came from along a historic one-block stretch of Highway 57 next to the Dodge County Courthouse in Mantorville. 
It’s such a tedious project that it will take nine construction workers the next four months to complete. The $1.38 million project should be completed by October. 
Environmental Associates Inc. of Willmar has been contracted to do the construction work, which will cause a lane shift for motorists driving through the area. Funding will come from MnDOT’s general transportation funds, said Michael Dougherty, spokesman for MnDOT. 
Photographs are taken of the stones and workers number the stones as they remove them so that they can be placed in the exact spot again, according to Ray Stenglein, project manager with Environmental Associates. While the stones are temporarily removed, workers excavate the bad soil behind the stones and replace it with free draining soils. New mortar is added to keep the stone wall sturdy, he said.
“It’s keeping the integrity of Mantorville,” Stenglein said of the project. The stone wall is