Duane Hill and James Miles of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) were at the Tuesday, August 19 county board meeting to give an update of what has been happening on Highway 61.
One of the first topics was rumble strips and Hill said that MnDOT crews had filled in all of the rumble strips that had been installed east of Grand Marais except for those in a ¼-mile stretch by Mount Josephine. He said MnDOT did not “screed” the sections off even with the pavement, but just filled them in with hot mix. He said the partially filled rumble strips should now make an acceptable level of noise while still serving as a deterrent to crashes.
Hill said it is now MnDOT’s policy to install side and centerline rumble strips on all projects, however, he said MnDOT is researching sinusoidal rumble strips which are supposed to be much less disruptive. Hill said there is a MnDOT YouTube video that can be viewed for anyone interested in the difference in the current rumble strips and the sinusoidal strips. He said MnDOT has the newer rumble strips installed at its test center in Monticello and on Highway 59 just south of Thief River Falls.
“We’re hoping to find a way to have these, without even gaps for driveways, but we’re being careful. We don’t want to repeat our experience here in Cook County,” said Hill.
James Miles presented the county board with a map of the county with dots showing where accidents occurred that resulted in fatal or serious injury; injury; or property damage only. He said, “Looking at the crash data for Cook County, you’re very low on crashes. Cook County is a very safe county, but we want to still improve that.”
Hill said rumble strips would not be installed in the mill and overlay project south of Grand Marais at this time.
In addition to rumble strips, the MnDOT representatives gave an update on the project under way from the Onion River Road to just west of County Road 7. Hill said once the culvert replacements are completed, there will be a mill and overlay of the entire section.
Hill said there are a few more MnDOT projects coming up. Bids will be let in November 2014 for the replacement of 25-30 culverts on Highway 61. That project is expected to cost about $1.9 million and drivers will see impacts similar to what is happening in the Lutsen-Cascade area now.
In 2015 a bridge will be installed to replace a box culvert at Cutface Creek. In 2016 a bridge north of Grand Marais on the Devil Track River will be replaced.
New access road at airport
In other transportation news, Highway Engineer David Betts brought a request to construct an access road from a gravel pit near the airport to the Cook County Airport to be built and used by Northland Constructors during the runway extension project.
The highway department recommend approval with the condition that Northland Constructors obtain all necessary permits, prepare a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP), stake the route and review it with the highway department, construct a lockable gate and compensate the county. Betts said compensation would likely be in the form of gravel.
Betts and Assistant County Engineer Sam Muntean recommended approving the request. Muntean said it benefits the airport because trucks will not have to drive across the existing runway. Commissioners approved the request, with Commissioner Heidi Doo-Kirk noting that it also meant “less wear and tear” on the ears of the neighboring property owners.
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