Workers were installing road markings along portions of Highway 19 in Marshall on Wednesday. Construction on Highway 19 (West College Drive) continues, with contractors focused on tasks ranging from landscaping to pouring sidewalks.

MARSHALL — Construction crews hope to complete the first half of the Highway 19 reconstruction project sometime this month, a representative of R and G Construction Co. said.

“We are telling people, sometime in the middle of November,” Erika Coudron of R and G said Wednesday. The Minnesota Department of Transportation would give notice when Highway 19 will be open to traffic again, she said.

Coudron said another important change for drivers will happen today. Subcontractors will be finalizing work on the traffic light at the intersection of Highway 19 (West College Drive) and Saratoga Street.

Drivers should watch for the traffic light at the intersection to change from a flashing red, to a fully operational traffic light, she said. Highway 19 will still be closed to traffic, but the Saratoga Street crossing will be open, Coudron said.

Several different contractors were working on different parts of the Highway 19 project on Wednesday. Coudron said work crews were putting permanent striping and road markings on the street surface. Crews were also doing concrete work for new sidewalks between Legion Field and Fourth Street, and landscaping the center of the new roundabout near the National Guard armory.

The center of the roundabout will be raised, and have a sign with the Marshall city logo in the center. So far, the base of the sign has been installed, Coudron said.

Coudron said some other portions of the Highway 19 project have been completed. Work on the bridge near Legion Field is now complete, and streetlights have been installed in the project area. Coudron said street signs will be coming in next week.

Although Highway 19 construction continues to make progress, Coudron urged drivers not to enter the work zone.

“There’s a lot of people working here,” she said, and having traffic enter the work zone is a safety risk. Highway 19 is still closed to through traffic, with a detour on Lyon County Road 7 and Highway 23. Part of Highway 19, between Fairgrounds Road and Legion Field Road, is open to local traffic.

An Oct. 30 construction update from MnDOT also included updates on which Highway 19 crossings are currently open. There are crossings at Marlene Street, Legion Field Road, Parkview Drive and Saratoga Street. The crossing at Marvin Schwan Memorial Drive is open to give people access to downtown public parking.

Crossings at South Second Street, Country Club Drive, Timmerman Drive, Fourth Street and North Greeley Street are all closed, MnDOT said.

The construction this summer was part of a larger reconstruction project for Highway 19 between Fairgrounds Road and Bruce Street. More street work is planned next summer, focusing on East College Drive between Main Street and Bruce Street.