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Work was scheduled to being on Tuesday, June 7, with crews building bypass lanes and turn lanes. To be constructed are:
*A bypass lane for eastbound traffic at Minnie Street just east of Paynesville;
*A bypass lane for westbound traffic at the west intersection with Co. Rd. 123;
*A turn lane for eastbound traffic and a bypass lane for westbound traffic at Brian's Auto by Roscoe;
*A bypass lane for eastbound traffic at Co. Rd. 114 (leading into Roscoe);
*A bypass lane for westbound traffic at Co. Rd. 123 (where it intersects with Highway 23 east of Roscoe);
*A new entrance to a gravel pit east of Roscoe with a turn lane and bypass lane;
*And a bypass lane for westbound traffic at Becker Lake Circle near Richmond.

According to MnDOT, flag crews will control traffic in the areas where crews are working. Motorists should expect slight delays and should slow down, watch for crews, and follow all instructions from the flag crews.

Milling the existing bituminous surface of Highway 23 and replacing the pavement is expected to being the week of Monday, June 13, weather permitting. The milling and repaving is expected to last two to three weeks, again depending on the weather.

Motorists again will be directed by flag crews. A pilot car will also be used to direct traffic, according to project supervisor Micky Klasen.

In Paynesville, once the new bituminous surface is done, the driving lanes will be restriped to add a center turn lane on Highway 23. To do this, the driving lanes and shoulders will need to be narrowed to accommodate the new center turn lane.

Currently, a center turn lane exists in Paynesville from Lake Avenue to Stearns Avenue. This would be lengthened all the way to Highway 23's intersection with Highway 55.

This improvement project on Highway 23 will also include replacing guard rails between Paynesville and Richmond, said Klasen, and widening the paved shoulders from four feet to eight feet. There are no plans, however, to redo the center rumble strip on Highway 23.