NEAR ROCHESTER, Minn.-- Beyond the barricades on Highway 63 north of Rochester, Minnesota is a repaving project now facing a big detour of its own.
On Thursday afternoon, a driver went around the barricades and sloshed through 780 feet of wet concrete before construction workers were able to stop him. He caused what will soon be a very expensive do-over.
"This doesn't happen very often for us, thankfully. But when it does, it can cause some considerable damage," says Anne Meyer of the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
According to State Patrol, the driver was a 95-year-old man who was driving home from the Mayo Clinic. He said he got confused with the construction.
Meyer says the entire damaged stretch of the highway needs to be broken up and re-paved because the concrete includes special fibers to strengthen it. And the machine they use lays the entire width of the highway at once, one mile per day.
The driver was later cited for failing to obey a traffic control device. His insurance company will be asked to cover the damage which is estimated at $100,000.
Read more: https://kare11.tv/2KO0m93