Burnsville Says Yes to Hwy 13 Freeway Plan: Stoplights at Chowen and Washburn Are Going Away

TLDR

• On Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, the Burnsville City Council approved MnDOT's design for Hwy 13 from Quentin Avenue in Savage to Washburn Avenue in Burnsville.
• The stoplights at Chowen and Washburn are coming out. Hwy 13 bridges over Chowen, and you won't be able to cross 13 at Washburn anymore.
• Construction runs from spring 2028 to fall 2030 and costs around $152 million. Burnsville pays about $1.77 million.
• Counting the Nicollet interchange work, that's roughly four years of construction on Hwy 13.

If you drive Hwy 13 in Burnsville, this one's for you. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, the Burnsville City Council voted to approve MnDOT's plan to turn the stretch near Chowen and Washburn into a freeway. That means no more stoplights, some new roundabouts, and a few years of construction headaches before things get smoother.

What Burnsville actually approved

State law says MnDOT has to get a city's OK before it rebuilds a state highway through town. That OK is called "municipal consent." On Oct. 20, the council approved the final layout and the funding plan. The land the project needs is shown as part of that layout.

This was one of the last big steps before construction. Mayor Elizabeth Kautz said after the vote that the project is getting there, with one more step done.

Why MnDOT wants to change Hwy 13

Hwy 13 is a major freight route, and the city's public hearing notice points to the high rate of crashes in the corridor. Kyle Johnson of Bolton & Menk, the firm MnDOT hired to design the project, presented it to the council alongside MnDOT.

The fix is to take out the stoplights and let traffic flow. Johnson told the council the new freeway can carry almost twice as much traffic as today with light congestion, and that MnDOT's 30-year traffic model doesn't show it turning into the next I-494. The biggest single source of money is the state's Corridors of Commerce program, which funds highways that help move freight. It's putting in about $59 million of the $152 million total.

Council Member Vince Workman noted that getting rid of intersections is usually a good thing. Johnson agreed, saying that taking away signals, stopping and turning all cuts down on crashes.

What changes in Burnsville

At Washburn Avenue:

• The stoplight is removed.
• A new ramp takes you from Washburn onto eastbound 13, and a new ramp takes westbound 13 drivers off to Washburn and nearby businesses.
• A roundabout goes in at Washburn and the north frontage road.
• The north-south crossing over 13 at Washburn closes. You'll use County Road 5 or Chowen instead.

At Chowen Avenue:

• The stoplight is removed, and Hwy 13 goes over Chowen on a bridge.
• Chowen becomes the main way to get between the north and south frontage roads.
• There's a new ramp from eastbound 13 to Chowen and downtown Savage, plus a roundabout where Chowen meets the south frontage road.

For walkers and bikers:

• A sidewalk along the south frontage road
• A trail from the Chowen crossing heading east along the north frontage road

The MnDOT design layouts show all of it.

What changes on the Savage side

Quentin Avenue gets an interchange with a roundabout at 123rd Street. The stoplight at Lynn Avenue goes away, and access shifts to Huntington Avenue, with a Hwy 13 bridge over Huntington. MnDOT's plans also include two ramp bridges over the Credit River.

Cost and who pays

• Total cost: about $152 million.
• Biggest source: Corridors of Commerce, at about $59 million. Scott County, MnDOT, federal grants and Savage cover much of the rest.
• Funding gap: $16.8 million. MnDOT is covering it for now while it looks for more money. The mayor said she knows there's a gap but trusts MnDOT will find the money.
• Burnsville's share: about $1.77 million for extra city water and sewer work. City staff say the money is already set aside in the city's approved 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Plan, which includes $1.52 million in sewer utility funds for the two Hwy 13 projects.

Scott County's project page notes that Scott County's transportation sales tax helps pay for part of it too. The project's funding table shows $20 million from that tax.

The timeline (get comfy)

• Nov. 10, 2026: bids open for the separate Nicollet Avenue interchange project.
• Spring 2027 to fall 2028: Nicollet interchange construction.
• February 2028: bids open for the Quentin-to-Washburn work.
• Spring 2028 to fall 2030: Chowen and Washburn construction.

Council Member Dan Gustafson said the four years of getting through construction will be the tough part. The mayor asked everyone to be patient, noting the city has been through projects like this before and will get through this one too. Burnsville drivers have done this before. Remember the I-35W makeover?

What about east of Nicollet?

Council Member Dan Kealey asked if 13 would ever become a freeway east of Nicollet toward Eagan. Short answer: not anytime soon. Johnson said most freight moves between I-35 and Hwy 169, and traffic east of Nicollet doesn't justify it. He said there are no plans to keep going east.

Kealey also made a plug for a pedestrian bridge at Portland Avenue near Burnsville High School, where students cross 13. He said crossing there can feel like taking your life in your own hands. He noted that 20 years ago, people talked about it as a $2 million bridge. One person on the dais wondered if it'd be $10 million today. It's not part of this project.

The Bottom Line

This was one of the last big approvals before Hwy 13 gets rebuilt. If you live or work near Chowen or Washburn, the biggest change is that Washburn won't cross 13 anymore. Chowen becomes your go-to north-south route. The end goal is a highway with no stoplights, fewer crashes and smoother traffic.

The catch is time. Between Nicollet and this project, you're looking at work on 13 from 2027 into 2030. MnDOT has a fly-over video on its project page if you want to see what it'll look like. With all the new businesses opening around Burnsville, there'll be a lot of folks using it.