Nearly Year-Long 2nd St. Southwest Closure in Downtown Rochester Starts Tuesday

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A nearly year-long closure for a major roadway in and out of downtown Rochester begins on Tuesday. 

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The closure is to accommodate Mayo Clinic’s $5 billion expansion in downtown Rochester. 

Traffic on the busy road has been reduced to a lane in each direction throughout the Spring for utility work for the massive project. 

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2nd St. Southwest Closure in Downtown Rochester Begins Tuesday, May 13

2nd St. Southwest will be closed between 4th Ave. Southwest and 6th Ave. Southwest. 

The closure is to pave the way for construction of an underground pedestrian tunnel that will connect a future Mayo Clinic patient care building with a future Rochester Public Transit station that will also have access to the soon-to-be-built Link Bus Rapid Transit Line. 

Mayo’s construction website indicates the road will not reopen until sometime during the first three months of 2026.

Mayo Clinic is encouraging patients and visitors to continue using 2nd St. Southwest to access the downtown then to follow posted detour signs.

It’s one of two tunnels planned to go underneath 2nd St. Southwest. Another tunnel to link St. Mary’s Hospital with the bus line is slated to be dug at 14th St. Southwest. 

A start date for that work has not yet been announced. The Link Bus Rapid Transit line is set to be completed by the Fall of 2026.