With future growth expected to cause major traffic issues on the Hwy. 25 corridor between Big Lake and Monticello, local officials have been meeting to look at a potential second Mississippi River crossing in the area.
Officials from Monticello and Big Lake have been meeting for a number of years about the traffic issue, and more recently, a joint powers agreement was formed that includes the cities of Monticello and Big Lake, Big Lake Twp. and Wright and Sherburne counties.
The group, known as the Hwy. 25 Corridor Coalition met earlier this month to talk about the next step.
“We’ve identified the key thing we need to do is study the traffic patterns and figure out how to get another river crossing across the Mississippi,” says Big Lake City Administrator Clay Wilfahrt. “That seems to be the only way we’re going to solve congestion issues on Hwy. 25.”
The group decided to send out request for proposals (RFP) describing what the scope of the work will be.
“It’s a large undertaking. We’re looking at engineers to work with, then designing and implementing a traffic study,” says Wilfahrt. “We have to identify where all the traffic comes from that enters onto Hwy. 25 and where it goes.”
The study will also encompass future growth on both sides of the river, as well as overall growth in the region.
“Once we figure out all of the people who are getting on there and where they’re going, that’s going to tell us the most efficient point for the people who are currently traveling on that corridor,” says Wilfahrt. “Once we’ve got an idea of where the crossing might be, we have to figure out the logistics of it in terms of existing development and how we work with landowners.”
Wilfahrt says the group hasn’t reached he stage where there are any specific alignments being discussed.
“We have what I would call napkin sketches,” he says. “We don’t know the traffic patterns and future traffic patterns. We don’t know the logistics yet.”
Back in 2011, Monticello proposed three potential river crossings as part of its Draft Transportation Plan. It included two options east of the Hwy. 25 bridge and another further west, connecting Co. Rd. 75 in Monticello Twp. with Co. Rd. 11 in Sherburne Co.
That’s as far as the plan went until recently, when the Hwy. 25 Corridor Coalition decided to do an in-depth traffic and growth study.
Wilfahrt says the study is the first step. Another step will be researching how to finance the project. A river crossing will have to be a joint effort between local, state and federal agencies.
“It’s a complicated process, but the good news is whenever the feds and state look at something like this the first thing they look for is local agreement and a local plan,” he says. “We’ve got one of the biggest hurdles cleared in the fact that we’ve got all five jurisdictions at the table right now.”
Under the joint powers agreement, each jurisdiction will budget for their portion of the study. The two counties will split 50% of the cost. Big Lake, Monticello and Big Lake Twp. will split the other 50%. Wilfahrt says Becker may eventually become a member of the agreement, also.
He said the goal is to get the study started in 2017.
