Earlier this month the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation held a public meeting in Clearwater to share recent Hwy. 24 corridor project updates.

The project, which MnDOT Project Manager Terri Odegaard stated is being driven by the 1-94 bridge replacement and safety concerns, will happen in two phases. The first phase, the bridge replacement, is scheduled to begin in 2026. It includes roundabouts at both interstate accesses.

The new bridge will be constructed 10’ offline the current bridge so traffic flow won’t be affected. The new Mississippi River bridge, which was completed in 2017, was constructed in the same manner.

“The goal is to impact the community as little as possible,” said Odegaard. 

A mix of residents and business owners attended the meeting to learn, discuss, and share ideas and concerns with MnDOT representatives.

A Clearwater resident, who asked not to be named, said that although the community knows there has to be change due to the difficulty of getting through town, there are several concerns with the project.

“The plan right now is to not allow left-hand turns through town,” he said. “People will have to double back and turn around to get to the opposite side. There is a risk of business loss. They could instead put in a stoplight between Coborn’s and Dairy Queen.” 

“There’s a lack of residential support going south,” he added. “And they [MnDOT] haven’t taken into consideration the natural flow of traffic.” 

Although current funding only allows for the reconstruction of the Hwy. 24 interchanges at I-94, the entire one-mile stretch of the highway, from Co. Road 7 to the Mississippi River bridge has been evaluated for improvements. 

This second phase of the project includes road reconstruction and the addition of roundabouts at the intersections of Hwy. 24 and Co. Rd. 7 and Hwy. 24 and Co. Rd. 75. The two sections will be completed separately, beginning with whichever gets funded first.

Currently, there is voting in progress for the potential addition of noise barriers along the west side of Hwy. 24 between Co. Rd. 75 and the Mississippi River bridge. Only affected property owners and tenants are involved in the voting. 

The Hwy. 24 Corridor project phases must be consented to by the Clearwater City Council. Several business owners and residents have approached the council during recent meetings with their concerns, which the council has shared with MnDOT.

During their meeting on Monday, the Clearwater City Council approved several project items; Resolution 2024-61 – Municipal Consent for T.H. 24 Corridor Project Phase 1, Resolution 2024-63 – Municipal Consent for T.H. 24 Corridor Project Phase 3 and authorized a letter assigning grant funds to MnDOT for the project.

Resolution 2024-62 – Municipal Consent for T.H. 24 Corridor Project Phase 2 was not approved. Instead, the council asked MnDOT to continue working with the city to address multiple concerns in this section.

For continuing information on this project visit talk.dot.state.mn.us/hwy-24-clearwater.