City agrees to costs, future maintenance associated with new bridge

Talk about it

The Hastings City Council last month agreed to the city’s share of costs related to the construction of the new Highway 61 bridge, and to what its maintenance responsibilities will be once the project is complete.

The city will pay the Minnesota Department of Transportation a total of $171,584 for a new traffic signal at Vermillion and Fourth streets, the perpetuation of parking on the west side of Vermillion Street between Third and Fourth streets and on the eastern bridge approach, and the upgrading of the pavement under the bridge on Second Street to concrete.

The money is coming out of the city’s municipal state aid account, which it receives from the state for work on state roads.

The majority of the $171,584 is going to the signal replacement. A new, basic traffic signal, like what’s at the intersection today, costs about $250,000, and since Fourth Street is a local road, the city is responsible for half of that cost, or about $125,000.

MnDOT would eliminate the parking on the west side of Vermillion Street between Third and Fourth streets if it followed its guidelines on street reconstructions, but it will rebuild the curb cut stalls that are there today at the city’s request. The same goes for the parking on the eastern bridge approach, although there’s no curb cuts there.

Since the road underneath the bridge will be torn up in the building process, the city said now was the time to extend the concrete pavement that is found on all downtown roads to the far west side of the bridge. It’s currently bituminous blacktop, and that’s what MnDOT would replace it with, but concrete will go in instead at the city’s request.

The other part of the agreement approved by the council last month was the city’s maintenance responsibilities once the project is complete.

What’s being called the North Loop Road, which will be built under the north side bridge to allow northbound drivers access to the two marinas there, will become the city’s responsibility once it’s built, which includes routine maintenance, along with plowing and street sweeping. The same goes for an interpretive plaza that’s planned for underneath the north side of the bridge, any trials or sidewalks on it, and an access road that will be built under the bridge in downtown that’s meant to give drivers access to the alley north of Second Street and trucks access to Hudson Sprayers.

The city will also become responsible for the storm sewer system on the bridge, and all maintenance that comes with it.

Roadway lighting on the bridge will continue to be MnDOT’s responsibility, which it is today, but any ornamental or aesthetic lighting installed will up to the city to maintain and provide power for.

Tags: news, hastings, bridge