 Orange cones and barricades will be a common sight around the Bemidji area this summer. In just a couple of weeks, two major road construction projects and detours are scheduled to begin. On May 15, resurfacing and bridge repairs on Highway 2 from the Highway 71 southbound bridge connection to the bypass begins. During this time, traffic will be detoured south on Bemidji Avenue through downtown Bemidji. Stage two of the project will be from the Highway 2 northbound bridge connection to Westbound Highway 2. Traffic will then detour onto the Highway 71 exit then west onto Highway 2. With a project like this lasting the entire summer, MnDOT says drivers need to be prepared. There's going to be some significant impacts. So essentially doing any traveling from the south side to the north side of town you're going to have to drive through some road construction. So that means that motorists are going to need to be more vigilant. Another project that's scheduled to begin on July 10th is the resurfacing of Highway 197 from 3rd Street northwest in downtown Bemidji to 7th Street southeast. Traffic will be reduced down to one lane during this time. With the project happening during the height of Bemidji's festival season, event organizers for Bemidji's Dragon Boat Festival are going to do their best to stress safety. Most people that have been down to Dragon Boats at the waterfront before know that it's well attended on foot because most of the parking is in the downtown area. So that's our first concern is to make sure that all the spectators and participants can access the waterfront safely. Both road construction projects are planned to last the entire summer and are expected to wrap up in September. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland news, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.