Fifty people attended the all-day open house held at the Grand Marais City Hall last Monday. Folks came to view maps and leave suggestions for MnDOT to consider as MnDOT makes plans for improvements to Highway 61. MnDOT Project Manager Roberta Dwyer was on hand to display MnDOT maps and answer questions.
In an effort to get information from the public, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Project Manager Roberta Dwyer, and Grand Marais City Administrator Mike Roth hosted an open house at City Hall on Monday, November 14, unveiling MnDOT drawings of proposed changes to Highway 61 as it runs through Grand Marais.
The drawings were conceptual in nature, said Dwyer, and not completed plans.
Roth stated that during the day-long session about 50 people came and left comments.
As shown, the work will start at Fall Creek and extend almost to Highway 14, a length of 11.2 miles.
Dwyer broke the project into four sections. Beginning at Fall Creek and running to Wisconsin Avenue, MnDOT proposes a bituminous mill and overlay, American with Disabilities Act (ADA) sidewalk improvements and the replacement of the culvert at Fall Creek.
From Wisconsin to Broadway new storm sewers will replace old ones, a continuation to upgrade the sidewalk so it is ADA compliant will continue on the north side of the highway, new pavement will be installed, and Highway 61 will be narrowed through this stretch, with access improvements made to businesses. The signal will be replaced at Broadway and left turn lanes installed at Broadway.
From Broadway to the Gunflint Trail the maps showed a continuation of ADA sidewalk improvements with a new ADA compliant sidewalk built on the south side of the Highway. Again, Highway 61 will be narrowed through this stretch and improvements will be made to turn lanes into business. The culvert at the Gunflint Trail will be replaced, and drainage improvements will be made that should reduce the flooding that takes place in the parking lot by the Co-op.
Last, from the Gunflint Trail to the east end there will be drainage improvements and a continuation of the bituminous mill overlay.
“Remember, this is only the first go around,” said Dwyer. “There is a lot to go over.”
MnDOT needs the plans to be finalized by the spring of 2017, said Dwyer.
“In order to keep the funding for this project, we need to have the construction done in 2019. There are easements we need to get in place and engineers will have to work with the drawings before this can be advertised,” Dwyer said. “We also need to work with the city of Grand Marais on their plans for improvements to their infrastructure.”
Roth said the city would replace storm sewers from 8th Avenue to 3rd Avenue when MnDOT is working in town. “We won’t have to repair the road, and we will be able to replace very old storm sewers. This will be very beneficial to the city.”
Bid letting will happen December 12, 2018, and construction will take place from midday to mid-October on the $10.5 million project, said Dwyer.
In the meantime, Dwyer took the maps and suggestions back to Duluth with her. She plans to come back for another public meeting in January. No firm date has been set for that meeting at this time.
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