The State Highway Administration has begun work redesigning Ritchie Highway in Brooklyn Park to make the roads safer for motorists at several intersections with high accident rates.

The project covers about a mile of Ritchie Highway, from Hammonds Lane to 11th Avenue. It involves installing median left-turn lanes, resurfacing the existing roadway, installing curb and gutter, landscaping and updating existing traffic signals.

Driving lanes will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Only two lanes in each direction will be maintained at other times.

The project should be completed by late fall of 1994.

Man shoots, kills dog

An unidentified man shot and killed a dog Tuesday morning in the 400 block of Audrey Ave., county police said.

Witnesses told police that the man walked up to the dog shortly after 8:30 a.m., pulled out a long-barreled handgun and fired one shot into the dog's head. The witnesses also told police the dog apparently had done nothing to provoke the shooting.

The man walked away after the shooting, police said. He was described as a thin, white male about 55 to 65 years old, and between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall. He was wearing a brown hat, white shirt and tan pants.