GRANITE FALLS — The Minnesota Department of Transportation is warning drivers of traffic delays in Granite Falls, as a major construction project on Minnesota Highway 23 continues.

The intersection of Highway 23 and Highway 67 in Granite Falls will be controlled by flaggers today, and MnDOT said to expect delays of about 15 to 20 minutes during the morning rush hours.

While road work near Granite Falls will be busy in the next two weeks, the Highway 23 project is on schedule and nearing its end, said construction supervisor Al Setrum.

If progress continues like it has so far, Setrum said, “We are about a week and a half away from opening (the highway).”

MnDOT is resurfacing 18 miles of highway, stretching from Cottonwood to Granite Falls. While a lot of the project is down to final phases like putting in rumble strips and striping, MnDOT said there will be a lot of work going on at the intersection of Highway 23 and U.S. Highway 212 in Granite Falls. Work crews are continuing to install curbs and gutters in Granite Falls, and to install shoulders and intersection paving throughout the project area.

Part of the construction has been the realignment of intersections crossing Highway 23 in Cottonwood, and the construction of left turn lanes at the intersections of Lyon County Road 9 and County Road 10.

Setrum said the safety updates have gone well, and now construction is focused on tasks like striping the roads, seeding and landscaping.

“We’re in the last phases,” he said. While the construction is scheduled to be completed Oct. 31, Setrum said it’s possible the highway could be opened sooner. This summer’s weather has been fair enough that it didn’t delay construction, he said.

However, for now a detour remains in place for Highway 23, using Highway 274, Yellow Medicine County Roads 6 and 46, and Lyon County Road 22.