The Two Harbors City Council held a special meeting on Monday night to talk with representatives from MNDOT about the Highway 61 Project. Josie Olson and others from MNDOT were on hand to talk about moving forward with the project given that the $11 million needed to do the entire project was approved in the last legislative session. The fact that both the Council and MNDOT had to alter the scope of the project given the shortfall in funding that was apparent prior to recent legislation left some details that need to be finalized before the project is ready to move to the construction phase.
Issues that have been discussed but need to be revisited include ways to deal with traffic backups along the highway 61 corridor during times when traffic is heavy, redundant access points throughout the corridor, and concerns about the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists.
When the project is completed, it will feature three lanes for traffic through the business district and will have traffic roundabouts at 7th Avenue and 11th Street. Both of these features will improve traffic flow and safety for motorists and pedestrians. The issue of redundant access points will require more thought by both the Council and MNDOT officials. Steps will need to be taken at various points along the corridor to consolidate access to Highway 61 as it traverses the business district. Any changes to access points will need to be done in ways that allow for minimal business disruption.
Given concerns about safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, Dan Cruikshank, made an appearance to advocate for a safe crossing that will connect trails on the north side of Highway 61 to trails on the south side. The Council has talked in previous discussions about the possibility of a pedestrian tunnel and the current plan has three protected surface pedestrian crossing points in the design. All parties involved in the project wanted to take a little more time to consider which of these options will best serve the communities needs.
Stay tuned for further updates.
