Trunk Highway 53 (Moosejaw)

Virginia, Minnesota

TH 53 was a schedule-driven, CM/GC project for the Minnesota DOT that relocated 3.2 miles of U.S. Highway 53 (Moosejaw Highway) in the Mesabi Iron Range of northern Minnesota.

Kiewit had only two years to construct the roadway, which included the state’s tallest structural steel bridge — at 200 feet tall — over an inactive, water-filled, open-pit iron mine that provides drinking water to nearby communities and required stringent run-off control. Kiewit excavated 1.5 million cubic yards of material, coordinated significant utility relocations and performed extensive community outreach. The project ties into the historic Mesabi Trail and features five miles of shared-use asphalt paths. Value engineering solutions during preconstruction resulted in $6.1M in cost savings, two months of overall schedule reduction and reduced impacts to project stakeholders.