Highway 56 tree removal in LeRoy scheduled to start on January 8th in preparation of construction project

MnDOT has announced that construction crews are scheduled to be in LeRoy removing trees beginning Monday, Jan. 8 in preparation for this spring’s Highway 56 construction project in the city. 

 MnDOT has also identified trees along Highway 56 that will need to be removed ahead of the start of construction. Many trees are planted next to the road and will likely not survive construction. Many of these trees are located on MnDOT property, and MnDOT officials indicated that any trees that need to be removed are located on private property, MnDOT will notify property owners and provide funds to replace them.

 They added that tree clearing is done from November through March to protect the threatened northern long-eared bats that nest in southeastern Minnesota.

 A MnDOT contractor is scheduled to reconstruct a 1.2-mile stretch of Highway 56 in LeRoy starting in the spring of 2024. The work, according to MnDOT officials will fix deteriorating pavement conditions, improve drainage, enhance student crosswalk safety and make pedestrian improvements to meet current accessibility standards.