Community members consider changes that could be made to improve the Highway 61 corridor through Grand Marais at a third public meeting on February 24. Citizens were able to see two concept designs that were developed based on past public input. The designs can be seen at bit.ly/1HSph3X. Anyone who would like to give comments and suggestions can also do so online. The designs can also be seen at Grand Marais City Hall and comment cards are available there as well.
On February 24, over 50 community members gathered in Grand Marais for the third meeting of Highway 61 Revisited, a process for envisioning a redesign of the Highway 61 corridor through Grand Marais.
The meetings were convened by the City of Grand Marais after redesign of Highway 61 was deemed a priority by the city council last year with community input. While Highway 61 through Grand Marais is a Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) road, the meetings have created an opportunity for community members to share their vision for the future of the highway corridor.
This has resulted in two concept designs for the corridor, which can be seen at www.becausemovingmatters.org/highway61.
“There has been excellent community participation in the process both at in-person meetings [with over 50 attendees at each meeting] as well as through online comment opportunities and in one-on-one conversations with property owners along the corridor,” said Mike Fischer of LHB, Inc.
During the most recent meeting, the design team, including consultants CJ Fernandez and Jason Aune of Aune Fernandez Landscape Architects and Fischer, shared an update on the conceptual design process, including revised concept designs and the next steps. There was also an update on the Health Impact Assessment of the project, led by the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic and a community committee. The group discussion identified many areas that the process has begun to address and those that the city will continue to investigate with community involvement, including parking, safe crossings, street landscaping, and a walk/bike trail.
“A locally led community visioning process is not the normal way highway projects are begun,” said City Administrator Mike Roth. “This has given our community the opportunity to guide future investment in the highway to meet our local needs.”
Although the concept designs are not final, they have been created based on the conditions of the corridor, within current right of way, and using appropriate standards such as lane widths. To ensure this, MnDOT District 1 staff was consulted through the process and MnDOT staff was in attendance at the meeting. As the project continues, the city will provide additional opportunities for the community to participate and refine the plans.
While MnDOT does not have a Highway 61 project on its current schedule, this local process has been an opportunity to envision design needs so the community can be ready when the opportunity arises for a project. The design team has identified the scope of a potential project and will be making estimates of probable project costs. The City of Grand Marais has made an application for federal funds to assist with pedestrian and bicyclist infrastructure in the corridor and expects to hear in April whether it has been successful. When the project is scheduled, a formal process would begin, starting with pre-design and finishing with construction which can take up to several years.
The opportunity for feedback on the current concept designs will be open until Monday, March 23 at www.becausemovingmatters.org/highway61, where the current drafts may be viewed and an online comment card is available. The designs may also be viewed at City Hall, 15 N. Broadway, Grand Marais, MN, and paper comment cards are also available.
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