County Road 42 Construction in Apple Valley: Closures, Detours & Updates (2026)
If you drive through Apple Valley, you already know County Road 42 is the road. And Dakota County just started tearing into a 3.5-mile chunk of it.
Crews are resurfacing 150th Street W. (that's CR 42's official name) from 147th Street east to Diamond Path, and the work runs July through October 2026. It's not just fresh asphalt, either. They're pulling out old pavement, replacing storm sewers, and upgrading the crossings at major intersections. Good stuff long-term. A little painful right now.
TLDR
County Road 42 (150th Street W.) is under construction July through October 2026 — a 3.5-mile resurfacing from 147th Street to Diamond Path.
Starting July 27, the eastbound and westbound right lanes are closed from Pennock Avenue through the Flagstaff intersection.
Starting August 3, CR 42 fully closes east of Johnny Cake Ridge Road to west of Pilot Knob Road for storm sewer work.
What you get: fresh pavement, new striping, updated storm sewers, and safer crossings with new curb ramps, audible push buttons, and pedestrian countdown timers.
Bottom line: pad your commute by 10 to 15 minutes and know your detour before you're stuck in it.
The closures you actually need to know about
There are two phases hitting back-to-back, and they affect different parts of the road.
Phase 1 — Lane closures (starting July 27). The eastbound and westbound right lanes are closed from Pennock Avenue through the Flagstaff intersection. The road stays open, but you're down a lane each way. Translation: it'll crawl during rush hour. Give yourself extra time or find a side route if you're just passing through.
Phase 2 — Full closure (starting August 3). This is the big one. CR 42 fully closes east of Johnny Cake Ridge Road to west of Pilot Knob Road so crews can replace the storm sewer. You can't drive straight through this section, so you'll have to go around.
How to get around it
Follow the posted detour signs first — the county sets those up for a reason, and they'll route you the safest way.
That said, if you know Apple Valley, you've got options. 147th Street and 140th Street both run parallel to CR 42 and can get you east-west without the mess. Cedar Avenue and Pilot Knob Road are your main north-south moves to jump around the closed section. Just know everyone else is thinking the same thing, so those side streets will be busier than usual too.
What this means for your commute
Short version: plan for an extra 10 to 15 minutes if CR 42 is part of your normal route, especially during the August full closure.
If you're headed to businesses along that stretch, they're still open. Access stays available even where the road work is happening. You just might come at it from a different direction, so take the side street and approach from the closest cross road.
Why they're doing it now
Summer is road season in Minnesota for a reason — crews get a narrow window of warm, dry months to do this kind of work. And this project is part of a bigger pattern of upgrades rolling down the CR 42 corridor. If you want the fuller picture on the intersection improvements happening nearby at Pilot Knob and Garrett, we broke those down here.
We'll keep this updated
Construction timelines move. Phases shift, closures open and close, and weather throws curveballs. We'll update this post as the project progresses through the fall, so bookmark it and check back before your drive.
For the county's official page and the latest technical details, head to Dakota County's CR 42 project page. You can also get direct email updates by emailing stacy.reilly@co.dakota.mn.us with "CP 42-172 Updates" in the subject line.
