Highway 95 Reopened Early Through Cambridge. Here's How the Winter Stretch Works Before Phase Two

Highway 95 through downtown Cambridge reopened on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 6. According to the Isanti-Chisago County Star, that was two days ahead of the Oct. 8 date MnDOT had announced. The Star added a qualifier: the road is open "at least until next spring when phase 2 of the project begins."

So the new pavement is a one-winter arrangement. Inside that winter is a shorter stretch that matters more. Until the new traffic signals arrive in mid-December, two of the rebuilt intersections run as all-way stops. Most of downtown's busiest community dates this season fall right in that stretch. From now until the signals go in, the stop signs at Fern Street and Dellwood Street set the pace for getting through town.

Two intersections are still running on stop signs

The first construction season covered a lot of ground. MnDOT says that in six months, crews rebuilt Highway 95 from Fern Street to just west of Main Street. That work included sidewalks and the entrances along the road, plus new storm sewer and utilities underneath it. The City of Cambridge now lists the 2026 work as complete except for cleanup and repairs.

The traffic signals are the piece that didn't arrive on time, as MnDOT's Sept. 29 news release explains.

"Due to a delay in getting the new signal equipment, the intersections at Fern Street and Dellwood Street will be all-way stops until the materials arrive and the signals are installed in mid-December."

The agency asks drivers to make complete stops, take turns, and watch for pedestrians and other drivers. Mid-December depends on the equipment showing up, so treat it as a target. MnDOT's project page has the same wording and a map of the Fern-to-Dellwood setup that runs through December.

For a quick errand, an all-way stop barely matters. It matters more on an evening when a lot of people are heading to the same few blocks at once, and the next few weeks have several of those evenings.

The calendar lands before the signals do

Nearly every date below falls before mid-December, so for most of them the stop signs at Fern and Dellwood are part of the trip. The library's tree voting is the exception, since it runs through the end of December.

This week's overlap

The book sale opens Thursday, Oct. 29, at 3 p.m. and runs until 7. On Friday, Oct. 30, it runs all day and overlaps with downtown trick-or-treating. According to the North 65 Chamber listing, trick-or-treating runs 3 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30. Maps are available at participating locations or can be printed ahead of time, and Discover Downtown Cambridge is the contact. The library is one of the stops. According to the East Central Regional Library calendar, it will hand out treats from 3 to 5 p.m., half an hour before the downtown event ends. With kids in the car, it helps to start there.

The book sale's last session is Saturday morning, 9 a.m. to noon.

The parade night

The Cambridge Lighted Snowflake Parade is set for Saturday, Nov. 21, stepping off at 5:30 p.m. Before the parade there's a community chili feed at City Center Mall. Bowls are $5, and the money helps fund the parade. The Cambridge Ambassador Program coordinates the event and posts updates on its Facebook page. The Chamber's parade page has the route map, so check it before deciding where to park.

On the current schedule, parade night comes about three weeks before the signals are due. If your drive in crosses Highway 95 at Fern or Dellwood, you'll take your turn at a four-way stop along with everyone else arriving for the chili feed. Give yourself a few extra minutes.

The quieter dates

The library's November and December calendar fills in between the big nights. Loretta Ellsworth visits on Nov. 12 from 6 to 7 p.m. Dino Day on Nov. 14 runs as two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Storytime meets Wednesdays at 10:45 a.m. in the Great Northern Meeting Room. The 11th annual Tree Decorating Contest opens to participants on Nov. 16. Public voting runs from Dec. 1 until 5 p.m. on Dec. 31, so the decorated trees stay up after the signals are expected.

A bigger grocery stop a few blocks off the highway

Downtown has one business change this year that matters for a weekly routine. City Center Market Food Co-op at 122 N. Buchanan St. held a grand reopening on July 29 for its expansion, with a ribbon cutting at 6:45 a.m. A local report on the expansion says the remodel nearly tripled the store to more than 14,000 square feet.

The expanded store opened while Highway 95 was still under detour. For many households, these weeks are the first time they can drive there on the new road. Pairing a co-op stop with the book sale or a library program is easy this fall, since you're downtown anyway.

What phase two takes away, and what it fixes

The open road is temporary because of the final segment. Next spring, crews move east to rebuild Highway 95 from west of Main Street to east of Fillmore Street. The Star reports that the start date is to be determined and will depend mainly on the weather. Here is what that segment brings, based on MnDOT's project page and the Star's report on the first half of the project:

• Four lanes with a median island from Main Street to Fillmore Street.
• Adams Street becomes right-in, right-out only because of the island. The Star reports that all other intersections on that stretch will keep both left and right turns.
• The railroad switch moves south, farther from the Highway 95 crossing. The Star says this will significantly cut how long trains block the highway.
• The detour comes back on Dellwood Street S, 11th Avenue S and Garfield Street S, the same route drivers learned this summer.
• The whole project is expected to finish in fall 2027.

MnDOT labels these plans tentative and subject to change. The agency also says local access will be kept open along each closed segment through side streets, second entrances, temporary driveways or alleys. The City says businesses downtown and on the east side stay open and reachable for the whole project.

The Adams Street change is the one to remember now. If you turn left at Adams to get home or to work, this winter is your last stretch of that turn before the island goes in.

The winter window, date by date

1. Oct. 6: Highway 95 reopens from Fern Street to west of Main Street, two days early.
2. Oct. 29–31: Friends of the Library Book Sale. Downtown trick-or-treating on Oct. 30, 3 to 5:30 p.m.
3. Nov. 21: Chili feed at City Center Mall, then the Lighted Snowflake Parade at 5:30 p.m.
4. Mid-December target: Signals go in at Fern and Dellwood, and the all-way stops end.
5. Dec. 31, 5 p.m.: Voting closes for the library's Tree Decorating Contest.
6. Spring 2027, weather permitting: Main-to-Fillmore closes, and the Dellwood, 11th Avenue S and Garfield detour returns.
7. Fall 2027: Expected completion of the full project.

For more notice than a news story gives, MnDOT runs an email update list for the Highway 95 Cambridge project. For same-day road conditions, the project page points to 511mn.org.

Team Lundeen is based in Cambridge, and we're watching the Highway 95 schedule as closely as you are. If you're wondering what next spring's Main-to-Fillmore work could mean for a home near Adams Street or along the east end of Highway 95, we're happy to talk it through. Let's Find Your Way Home: Request a Free Home Valuation.