County commissioners received an update from MnDOT representatives on Tuesday, May 11. They learned that Highway 61 projects scheduled for next year include adding 1.5 miles of Gitchi-Gami State Trail from this bicycle highway underpass being constructed adjacent to County Road 34 to the Ski Hill Road in Lutsen.
Two Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) representatives and one Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC) representative met with county commissioners Tuesday, May 11, 2010 to let them know the types of projects that will be undertaken on state roads over the next nine years. A big project for this summer may make trips to Cook County a little harder for tourists.
A major road construction project along I-35 in Duluth is underway. MnDOT Program Management Specialist Gus Peterson said that trafficwould be affected from Boundary Avenue on the west to Lester River on the east. It won’t be the “Armageddon” some people fear it will be, however, he said.
Peterson said the most important thing travelers can do is to avoid the I-35 detour areas from 6:00-8:30 a.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m. when traffic is heaviest. MnDOT Highway 61 Project Coordinator Todd Campbell recommended that people traveling through Duluth use routes other than the I-35 detour whenever possible.
Construction crews will be working Mondays through Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. from May through November. Traffic updates can be found on the MnDOT website at www.dot.state. mn.us/duluthmegaproject.
Construction will also take place along I-35 near Moose Lake between Duluth and the Twin Cities. Todd Campbell encouraged weekend travelers to stay at their destinations until Monday morning. “Avoid Friday afternoons and evenings northbound,” he said, “and avoid Sunday afternoons and evenings southbound.”
In the face of funding levels that will not keep up with inflation, highway projects between now and 2019 will continue but not at the level some would like to see. “The bottom line is we just don’t have the money to keep our roads in the condition they should be,” said Gus Peterson. “It’s not a pretty picture, but we’re doing our best….” Funding priorities include safety improvements to both roads and bridges.
Highway 61 projects scheduled for next year include adding 1.5 miles of Gitchi-Gami State Trail from County Road 34 to the Ski Hill Road in Lutsen and eight miles of trail from Cascade River to Grand Marais.
In an update on county road projects, Highway Department Engineering Specialist Bill Parish told the board that he is unsure of the status of the six intersection lighting projects former County Engineer Shae Kosmalski had initiated. He is trying to determine if the funding was used for other projects.
“I wouldn’t feel bad if we backtracked on it,” Commissioner Jim Johnson said. He stated that numerous constituents, especially those who live near the intersections, have told him they prefer darkness at those locations.
Commissioner Bruce Martinson thanked MnDOT for its vegetative clearing along Highway 61 in the West End. It has improved trafficsafety, he said, and made deer more visible.
Commissioner Johnson said he gets a lot of comments from people who say good fog lines are very important for road safety.
Commissioner Fritz Sobanja commented on how Highway 61 has changed over the last 50 years because of efforts to make it straighter and safer, although the old hills and turns had their charms. To fund continued improvements, he said, “I suppose we could all just volunteer to pay more taxes!”
Sobanja also told the visitors, “The scenic byway signs look nice.”
“They better look nice,” answered ARDC’s Andy Hubley, “because they were pricey.” The ARDC provided some of the funding for the rock cairn signs along Highway 61.
The Ray Berglund wayside rest along Highway 61 in Lutsen will have a pit toilet after reconstruction, paid for with family trust funds, Todd Campbell reported. “A good project,” said Commissioner Johnson, “would be to figure out who Ray Berglund was!”
Calcium chloride application
The board voted to award a bid for application of calcium chloride on dirt roads to Univar USA of St. Paul in the amount of $57,178.12. Maintenance Supervisor Russ Klegstad said the county used to budget $90,000 a year for calcium chloride but had lowered that amount to $50,000. He was able to find an extra $10,000 in the budget to get a bit more this year.
People like having calcium chloride on the road for dust control, Klegstad said, but he believes it is important for road maintenance and safety.
Bill Parish said having contractors apply the calcium chloride is cheaper in the long run. “It’s really not cost-effective for us to put it down,” he said.
Courthouse parking lot lights
The lights in the courthouse parking lot and by the Public Health and Human Services ramp are falling apart, Maintenance Director Brian Silence reported, with frames around the globes sometimes falling to the ground. Some of the light sockets are so corroded they cannot hold light bulbs anymore. People have complained about how dark the parking lot is at night.
Silence obtained bids from two local electrical contractors for more energy efficient replacements that use 175-watt bulbs. They face down and emit more light with better color than the current ones, Silence said. Thegoal is to provide better lighting without bothering residents around the courthouse.
Nordic Electric underbid API Electric with a bid of $13,233.
The board voted unanimously to hire Nordic Electric to replace the lights.
Closed session
The Cook County board of commissioners met in closed session at the end of its meeting on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 to discuss an undisclosed matter with County Attorney Tim Scannell. The matter regards litigation, and the county board was legally allowed to close the session because of attorney-client privilege.
After the meeting opened to the public again, Commissioner Fritz Sobanja said, “Our attorney will continue to work with us and the party on this matter of property.”
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