Prior Lake gears up for year of roadwork

Prior Lake American

If you’re a driver in Prior Lake, the next few years might be rough for you.

The city of Prior Lake, Scott County and the Minnesota Department of Transportation all have road projects scheduled in 2018 in 2019 in and around Prior Lake.

“When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago,” Prior Lake Mayor Kirt Briggs said. “When’s the second best time? The answer is today. Some of these road improvement projects in that regard, of course the best time to do these projects was 10 years ago or five years ago but the second best time to do them is now.”

Because of the age of the roads, all of the projects are being done at similar times to try and extend the life of the road, Public Works Director Jason Wedel said.

“Part of it is coincidence and part of it is just the timing and when all of our roadways got built initially,” Wedel said. “It’s kind of a reflection of the age of our community. A lot of these roads went in at similar time frames way back when and now they are aging and need to be repaired and replaced at the same time.”

The roads are intertwined and so for one to be improved, it improves the whole system, City Manager Frank Boyles said.

“This is a transportation system,” Boyles said. “I think all of us like to focus on individual streets we use, but it’s a system and the system depends on each of the elements.”

Trying to extend the road and doing necessary road projects is happening with all of the players in the street system in Prior Lake — the state, the county and the city.

“I would say this year is above average for the amount of construction,” Wedel said. “It just happens that the county’s got their (County Road) 42 project and (the Minnesota Department of Transportation) has their (Highway) 13 project. That wouldn’t necessarily always happen in the same year, but it just so happens that they are.”

Engaging residents

With the number of projects, the city is trying to engage resident voices and bring different groups who would be affected together to talk about the projects, Briggs said.

“We’ve essentially created the best process for ensuring voices are at the same table,” Briggs said. “Previously, a lot of these things were compartmentalized.”

What is not a coincidence was getting side roadwork done before the full reconstruction of Highway 13 in 2019, Wedel said.

“That’s all part of trying to have the supporting roadways that are around Highway 13 completed and functioning and in good shape prior to 13 being closed so that way people have options and alternatives for getting around the construction,” Wedel said. “That was a part of the strategy there, as well.”

Though it might be a pain during construction season, being able to do the projects in collaboration with the governmental entities is essential to maintaining the system, Wedel said.

“These are significant projects that are coming in and we value their partnership on these things,” Wedel said. “It does take a lot of planning and coordination to make sure that the projects get done smoothly and try to minimize the disruption to the community.

The small inconvenience is outweighed by the benefits of the work, Boyles said.

“What would you prefer to have — would you prefer to have wrong turns, unsafe roads and roadways be under capacity, or would we rather have a short-term inconvenience ... to have roadways that are safe and meet our capacity?” Boyles said.

The projects wouldn’t be viable without those partnerships, Boyles said.

“As municipalities, we have key jobs and transportation is a part of that — not just having safe roads, but being able to get people to and from area spots in an effective and expeditious way and that’s what we’re trying to do together with the county and together with MnDOT,” Boyles said. “Without our partners, these things can’t happen.”

The city is trying to communicate ahead of the projects so residents can know what to expect, Briggs said.

Boyles said the communication will be one of the difficulties with the number of projects.

“One of our biggest challenges will be to try and communicate all of these things in a dynamic fashion, hopefully before they occur,” Boyles said.

These are some of the major road projects taking place in 2018:

County Highway 42 and Trunk Highway 13

Scott County will be making improvements to the county highway and trunk highway intersection, including installing dual left turn lanes on County Highway 42, installing permanent traffic signals on County Highway 42 and Trunk Highway 13 and County Highway 42 and Quebec Avenue, surfacing the road and installing a trail and sidewalk along County Highway 42.

Trunk Highway 13, Duluth Avenue and Village Lake Drive

The city of Prior Lake is working with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to improve the traffic flow by adding dedicated left turn lanes in both directions on Duluth Avenue and replacing the traffic signal. The design includes a mini-roundabout at the intersection of Duluth Avenue and Village Lake Drive. Construction would start in late summer and continue through the fall.

Trunk Highway 13

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will mill and overlay pavement on Trunk Highway 13, from County Highway 21 to Trunk Highway 101 in Savage. Lane restrictions will be in place during the work.

Franklin Trail

A portion of Franklin Trail from Summer Street to County Highway 44 is expected to be completely reconstructed in 2018, including removing and replacing the street, storm sewer, sanitary sewer and water main. The project is currently in the design phase.

Woodside Road and Huron Street

This area is scheduled for a complete reconstruction, including removing and replacing the street, storm sewer, sanitary sewer and water main.

2019

Next year will also come with a number of road projects. The department of transportation will reconstruct Highway 13 from County Highway 21 to County Highway 282. The state, Scott County and the city of Prior Lake will make improvements to the intersection at County Highway 21 and Highway 13 in downtown Prior Lake. That project will include roundabouts at Arcadia Avenue and Highway 13.

For more information on road projects, visit the city’s street project website, cityofpriorlake.com/street-projects.php.