80th Street Is Nearly Finished, and the New Restaurants Are Going In Along It

Cottage Grove's next Panera Bread is going up on a 0.2-acre former gas station lot at the corner of East Point Douglas Road South, just west of the 80th Street and Highway 61 interchange. That's the stretch the city spent 2026 tearing up and rebuilding.

The roadwork and the new businesses were planned on separate tracks. They're finishing within weeks of each other on the same few blocks, so the corridor that was cones and crossovers in July is where much of the city's newest commercial activity is opening this winter.

What $16.5 million changed on 80th Street

The Cottage Grove Journal reported in October that the rehabilitation project was estimated at $16.515 million. It covers 80th Street South between Highway 61 and Ideal Avenue South, plus about 1,000 feet of East Point Douglas Road south of 80th. City, county, MnDOT and federal funds paid for it, along with special assessments. Washington County and MnDOT signed a cost-share agreement with the city for the interchange work, because County Road 39 forms the west leg of the southbound Highway 61 ramp intersection.

Construction started April 27. For drivers who went through it all season, here's what's new:

• New pavement, plus curb and sidewalk repairs along the corridor
• Upgraded street lighting and accessibility improvements
• Traffic signal modifications, with new signals built to measure and manage traffic flow
• Additional and extended turn lanes, including dual left-turn lanes at 80th Street and East Point Douglas Road/Hardwood Avenue
• Reconstructed ramps and intersections at the Highway 61 interchange
• New landscaping and signage

Mayor Myron Bailey summed up the trade-off in a social media post that the Cottage Grove Journal quoted on Nov. 1:

"Thank you for dealing with the long construction on 80th and the ramps on and off of highway 61. The benefit is new extended turn lanes, added turn lanes, new stop lights with state-of-the art technology to measure and help with traffic flow, a new smooth surface, new street lights, and some new decorate landscaping and signage. You will see the new Holiday decorations on the new street light poles later this November!"

The city scheduled its official ribbon-cutting for Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 9 a.m. The holiday decorations on the new light poles are set to go up later this month.

Property along the corridor helped pay for the work. The City Council approved assessments on 37 parcels belonging to 29 owners. Amounts ranged from $1,900 to $251,500 per parcel and covered residential, commercial and school district properties around 80th Street South and East Point Douglas Road.

The busiest rebuilt intersection is where the restaurants are clustering

The dual left-turn lanes are the biggest change to how traffic moves through the corridor, and they sit where 80th Street meets East Point Douglas Road and Hardwood Avenue. The corridor's new and coming businesses are within a short drive of that intersection.

The Panera site has a long history as a fuel station. City planner Max Erickson told the Planning Commission in March that the station was approved in 1981, that the canopy, pumps and signage had already been removed, and that a report on removing the fuel tanks was under review by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The approved plan replaces the old building with a Panera drive-thru with outdoor seating and a rebuilt parking lot. It also closes one of the two southern driveways, so the corner will have fewer curb cuts once the restaurant opens.

At the former Orange Theory building, Bailey said the property owners are working with the neighboring Wendy's to improve landscaping and visibility between the two restaurant sites.

The Journal called Club Pilates part of the "continued commercial activity along the 80th Street corridor." In practice, the Pilates studio opened upstairs from a restaurant and a salon on a road that was still under construction at the time.

The ribbon-cutting comes before the last lane closures

The ribbon-cutting doesn't mean the project is fully finished. At the Oct. 7 council meeting, the city's project presenter, Sponholz, said substantial completion was expected by mid-November, with punch-list work to follow and final completion anticipated in June 2027.

The Nov. 6 update on the city's 80th Street project page said lane closures would stay in place on 80th Street and East Point Douglas Road to finish signal, lighting, pavement marking and signing work. At least one lane in every direction was to stay open. Here's what was scheduled for the week of Nov. 9:

1. Signal revisions at 80th Street and Hardwood Avenue, 80th Street and Hinton Avenue, and East Point Douglas Road at Grove Plaza
2. Final roadway signs and pavement markings, after rain and wet pavement slowed the marking work the week before
3. Any remaining concrete work
4. Joint sealing at the Highway 61 and railroad bridges

Drivers headed to Hastings will notice the ramps most. The southern Highway 61 ramps to and from Hastings stayed closed through late October. The project team's Oct. 30 bulletin expected them to reopen by the end of the week of Nov. 2. The Nov. 6 update set the end of that Friday as the target. The project page has the latest lane and ramp status. The project hotline is (651) 447-7312, and the team takes email at [email protected].

The signal work at Hardwood, Hinton and Grove Plaza affects the same intersections drivers will use to reach the new restaurants. Expect short lane closures there until that work wraps up.

More openings off the corridor this winter

Bailey's same update also listed businesses in other parts of town, on a later timeline.

Kwik Trip, Jamaica Avenue at 95th Street. Bailey said construction has gone smoothly, and a ribbon-cutting is tentatively planned for Dec. 23. This year's mill and overlay work on 95th Street was one of the city's other road projects.

The Basic Needs food pantry site. Bailey said the pantry will move in the next few months to a spot beside Basic Needs near its thrift store off Hadley Avenue. The current pantry property is expected to become a restaurant, and Bailey described it as a non-branded restaurant rather than a national chain. Construction isn't expected to start before January 2027.

Rolling Chapters, 7404 Lamar Ave. S. A new bookstore is getting ready to move into the empty building in Old Cottage Grove next to Boondocks Vintage Boutique.

The city's other big road projects this year were the Highway 19/Keats Avenue and 80th Street roundabout and the 65th Street reconstruction near Hastings Avenue.

On the corridor itself, the projects line up in order. Club Pilates has already opened. Panera's corner is close to finished. Wingstop and its unnamed neighbor don't have opening dates yet, and punch-list work on the road continues toward final completion, anticipated in June 2027.

When the 80th Street rebuild comes up in conversations about the east side, Tom can share how these projects fit into the bigger picture, whether you're staying put or weighing a move. Thomas Bullington is glad to talk it over. Let's Connect.