Brooklyn Park residents and commuters, brace yourselves for some detour drama. A sizable chunk of West River Road is shutting down northbound traffic between Brookdale Drive and Newton Ave, thanks to the 2024 Mill and Overlay project, including all the fixings of utility work and curb and gutter improvements. According to information released by the city, those driving north will have to take a significant detour during the construction period that's already causing murmurs of irritation among locals.

Attempting to put a lid on possible gridlock, officials have clarified that the southbound lanes on West River Road will remain open, though they'll shove traffic over to accommodate the bustling contractor crews. In a puzzling move sure to confuse some drivers, the detour route for northbound traffic will snake its way along TH252, then TH610, before dipping down on Noble Ave and finally 97th Ave, as reported by the city's advisory.

The community is grappling with the usual aches and groans that come with roadwork, but there's a small nugget of good news for those who frequent the lower stretches of West River Road. If you're looking to get south of 85th Ave, the city promises you can skip the dizzying full detour and just hop on 85th Ave instead. While this might quell some frustrations, the chorus of sighs over the inconvenience is not likely to die down until the cones and crews clear out.

For now, drivers will have to navigate this latest obstacle course that city planners have laid out. It's an inconvenient truth of urban life—roads are the veins of the metropolis, and sometimes those veins need surgery. So, heed the signs and plan your journeys with a little more cushion time, because cross streets might save you a minute, but they'll throw the detour for a loop, allowing traffic to crisscross against the construction grain at every signaled intersection.