The main entrance to Roosevelt Park Zoo at 13th Street SE will reopen to vehicle traffic on Monday, Aug. 21, as the construction project on Burdick Expressway East continues to reach major milestones, according to a press release from the city of Minot.

Visitors to the Zoo can now use the13th Street SE intersection as the entrance into the Zoo. Visitors will temporarily exit the Zoo parking lot on a service road that takes them through Roosevelt Park to an exit point onto Central Avenue.

“Maintaining access to Roosevelt Park Zoo has been one of the focuses of this project. There’s more work to be done, but reopening this intersection is another big step for us,” said City Engineer Lance Meyer in the press release. “We appreciate the patience of everyone at the Zoo and all the Zoo’s visitors this summer as we continue to work toward completing this vital infrastructure upgrade.”

Signs have been placed on Valley Street to help direct traffic to the Zoo, Corbett Field and other locations, including the Roosevelt Plaza. Temporary traffic signals have been installed at the intersection of Valley Street and 13th Street SE and at the intersection of Valley Street and 27th Street SE to help manage the increased volume of traffic.

The Burdick Expressway East project will replace underground water, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer pipes, while widening the driving lanes. New lighting, sidewalks, traffic signals and signage will also be installed. A portion of the curve just east of 9th St. SE will be straightened for safety reasons.

The entire Burdick Expressway project has a completion date of Oct. 28.