Highway 12 to be detoured starting Monday as part of Wilmar Wye project

If the weather cooperates, a Highway 12 detour will begin in Willmar on Monday, April 19. Crews will construct tie-ins to connect existing Hwy 12 to the realigned Hwy 12. Work will take about one week and when complete, all Hwy 12 traffic will use the realigned roadway.

The goal is to construct a new rail line on the west side of Willmar. The project includes the realignment of US 12 and the reconstruction of Hwy 40, including two new bridges. The rail line will connect two existing main track subdivisions: the Morris subdivision parallels Hwy 12 west of Willmar, while the Marshall subdivision parallels Kandiyohi CR 55/CR 15 and Hwy 23 to the southwest.

These subdivisions serve local, regional and national rail customers in the Northwest, Midwest, and southern United States. Road construction on this project is estimated to end this autumn, while rail construction will take an additional year.