Bypass
Highway 371 is the principal north-south highway extending through north-central Minnesota. MNDoT has identified the section of 371 from Little Falls to Pine River (or US 2) in need of improvements. For the most part this means adding interchanges at important intersections and expanding the road from 2 lanes (in some places) to four. This improvement may have significant effects on the commute time for people living in the Brainerd Lakes region to important commuter sheds, such as St. Cloud and the Twin Cities. The improvements include a Brainerd bypass for thru traffic on 371. The bypass has and will shift traffic patterns and, therefore, consumption patterns in the region.