WALNUT GROVE — A construction project running on U.S. Highway 14 from Tracy to Revere has been put on hold, to help visitors traveling to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant in Walnut Grove.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced Friday that work on Highway 14 will be suspended from July 3 until July 22. Detours on the highway will be removed by the end of the day Wednesday, weather permitting.

The first performance of this year’s Wilder Pageant is Friday. MnDOT had originally planned to have construction finished before the pageant started.

The construction on Highway 14, which started this spring, includes resurfacing of the road between Tracy and Revere. The project also includes culvert and slope repairs, pedestrian improvements in Walnut Grove, and the extension of a right turn lane near Meadowland Farmers Co-Op east of Walnut Grove.

The slope repair work near the Tracy Golf Course and the pedestrian improvements in Walnut Grove have already been finished, MnDOT said Friday. Road paving and shouldering work is scheduled to be completed before construction is suspended this week.

Construction is scheduled to resume on July 22 to complete rumble strips, seal coating and striping. However, Highway 14 will stay open. The work will be done under traffic, using flagging, MnDOT said.