MARSHALL — With the return of spring, signs of road construction season will be appearing. This week, representatives of R and G Construction said flags to locate utility lines will start going up in boulevards along part of Highway 19 (College Drive) in Marshall.

The utility markers are part of the prep work for the second part of a major Highway 19 reconstruction. This year, crews will be working on College Drive from Main Street to Bruce Street.

“If you have locate flags in your boulevard, please leave them in place,” said Erika Coudron of R and G Construction. The flags are important for safety, especially because there are multiple utilities that are located in the right of way along College Drive, she said.

According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s project website, this year’s construction is planned to go in phases, starting with the part of College Drive between Main and West Marshall Street. During construction, a detour will be in place on Lyon County Road 7 and Minnesota Highway 23.

In her update, Coudron said Highway 19 construction was still a few weeks away. However, she said the Minnesota Department of Transportation does plan to have a public open house event for the next phase of construction.

MnDOT recently sent out postcards advertising an open house on April 22 at Marshall City Hall. The open house will cover a couple of different planned construction projects. In addition to the Highway 19 project, the open house will be a chance to learn about planned culvert replacements on U.S. Highway 59 north of Green Valley.

The Highway 59 construction will start in early May, and will involve a road closure. MnDOT said a detour will be in place, with traffic diverted onto Lyon County Road 8, Highway 23 and Lyon County Road 24.

The open house at City hall will be from 4-6 p.m. on April 22.