MARSHALL — A presentation on 2025 construction projects within the city of Marshall drew some questions from local businesspeople this week.

Members of the Marshall Downtown Business Association wanted to know more about what was in store for the second half of planned reconstruction on Minnesota Highway 19 (East College Drive).

Not a lot of details are available yet, however, assistant Marshall city engineer Eric Hanson said during a Wednesday association meeting. This week, Minnesota Department of Transportation project managers for the Highway 19 project also said there isn’t a definite start date available yet for 2026 construction.

The upcoming construction on Highway 19 will affect East College Drive from Main Street to Bruce Street. Hanson said the 2026 portion of construction will be broken down into three stages.

One stage will stretch from the intersection of Main Street and College Drive, to West Marshall Street and Liberty Park. Another stage stretches further down East College Drive, from Liberty Park to South Bruce Street. A third stage will affect Bruce Street near the intersection of East College Drive.

Both Hanson and the MnDOT project page for construction said the intersection of Main Street and College Drive will need to be closed during one of the project stages.

“There is a water main tie-in that needs to happen there, and then about 150 feet of sanitary sewer that needs to be replaced,” Hanson told downtown businesspeople. He said there were also some utilities that would need to be moved in the first block of Highway 19 north of Main Street.

Hanson said utility meetings were part of the planning work for the Highway 19 reconstruction, to try and streamline things as much as possible. He also said local contractors know the roads and travel patterns in Marshall, which will help in the planning process.

Hanson said there had been questions about the Main Street/College Drive intersection voiced by downtown business owners.

“What the city has expressed to the DOT is we need to keep folks informed, and we need to know as quick as we can,” Hanson said. He said it had been good to work with R and G construction, and contractor representatives like Erika Coudron.

During 2026 construction, a detour for traffic on Highway 19 will be in place on Lyon County Road 7 and Minnesota Highway 23. MnDOT maps said alternating intersections along Highway 19 would be open for local residents.

Hanson said the city of Marshall had completed some of its own reconstruction on Hill and Minnesota Streets this year in advance of the MnDOT project.

“We wanted to get Hill and Minnesota, along with Whitney Street that was done last year, reconstructed so when the state comes through, they can tie into it,” Hanson said.

Hanson also gave updates on projects like the ongoing Aquatic Center construction in Marshall. All of the pools have been poured, as well as water slide foundations, he said.

Over the winter, work will also continue inside the buildings at the Aquatic Center, he said. There are features like pumps and piping that need to be installed.

“As people drive by, it’s gonna look like nothing’s happening out there. But there’s going to be a ton of people working inside those buildings to help push it along,” Hanson said.