Seamed or seamless? I’m not writing about nylon stockings. This letter is about the new and improved Highway 61, North Shore Drive.
First, I will say thank you MnDOT for the improved safety that has come with the new Highway 61 sections. The expanded shoulders and much-improved sight lines are important changes in the new highway.
But, I do have to wonder every time we drive to Caribou Lake in Lutsen why are the new highway sections constructed with those seams (or bumps) at frequent intervals when our experience on other new highway construction gives us a pleasant smooth ride. The ride is much like the good old-fashioned washboards of gravel days—bump, bump, bump, ad nauseam. This started with the first section by Cascade State Park so many years ago and continues to the present. It’s also particularly noticeable in the section coming into Beaver Bay.
I think this question should be directed to the district engineer who is responsible for Highway 61 along the North Shore. I wonder is it workmanship by contractors, lack of inspection/attention by MnDOT when the roadbed is being laid, what could it possibly be? Is it necessary because of weather conditions— expansion joints or something akin to them? I know there is a new section between Tofte and Lutsen being built this year and I wonder if the same highway surface will be put down again—bump, bump, bump! I know asphalt can be laid in long smooth stretches without the bothersome seams. We ride on it everywhere, why not on the North Shore?
I have been too slow to ask this question. I would like an answer from MnDOT and I even hope to see an end to this type of road construction. Let’s hear from you, District Engineer.
Bob Reid
Bloomington/Lutsen
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