You win some: The troublesome intersection of Eighth Street and 30th Avenue South has reopened to the east. Drivers can use 30th Avenue to detour around the Interstate 94 construction zone once again. They can also more easily reach the Speak Easy, O’Leary’s, Sydney’s Market, CVS, First International Bank and the Microtel.

You win some more: Progress on Center Avenue and Eighth Street downtown is close to completion, simplifying life for Taco John’s, Mick’s Lounge, the Dairy Queen, Wells Fargo Bank and NAPA Auto Parts.

And sometimes you win big, with the northeast exit ramp off Interstate 94 due to reopen next week – finally giving travelers coming from the Twin Cities easier access into Moorhead.

But, then, you lose some, too: The opening of the northeast ramp of Exit 1-A will be closely followed by closing the northwest ramp – the one that Moorhead residents take to head west to Fargo. The southwest ramp – the one eastbound I-94 travelers take to turn south on Eighth Street/Highway 75 – is due to close for reconstruction soon, too. With six concerts scheduled at the Bluestem Amphitheater within eight days starting Aug. 7, that may cause a whole new group of headaches.

Into the life of every road project, a little rain may fall. Or more than a little. Recent thunderstorms have delivered several inches of precipitation onto Moorhead’s complex construction plans, complicating the answer to the question on everyone’s lips: When will it all end?

For Center Avenue between Eighth and 11th Streets, the answer is “soon.” Despite rain delays, that stretch is projected to be complete by the end of the coming week. The news is also good for water main replacement from Main to Second Avenue along Eighth Street, which is projected to be completed in the coming week.

But Center Avenue will close from 11th to 14th Streets as soon as the currently closed section opens. Mill and overlay will be run for all of Center Avenue after that segment is finished.

When businesses around the I-94 interchange expressed their frustration to representatives of the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the city last week, their words fell on fertile ground. Within days, mobile devices to clock traffic speeds were put in place along roads leading to the underpass that follows the river. They’re intended to slow traffic detouring around the closed interchange, reminding them they’re passing through a residential neighborhood not designed for heavy through traffic.

MnDOT has installed a message board on westbound I-94 warning travelers that their only Moorhead option, for the time being, is the 34th Street exit. Signage has also been added south of the interchange to help direct customers to businesses in the long-embattled southeast and southwest quadrants.