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WHITE BEAR LAKE: Fire call volume increases by 7% PAGE 11
Highway 96 corridor study wraps up with final open house BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
A two-year study is about to wrap up that will help guide both shortand long-term improvements for the Highway 96 corridor. The study, a partnership between Washington and Ramsey counties and MnDOT, kicked off in the summer of 2024 after Washington County took over ownership of a portion of the roadway (east of Highway 244 in Dellwood) from the state in 2023.
“The goal of the study was to better understand issues and opportunities and help plan for future improvements,” said Washington County Project Manager Madeline Dahlheimer. “In ongoing coordination with MnDOT and Ramsey County, it was determined to expand our study to include the portion of roadway still under MnDOT jurisdiction (west of Highway 244 all the way to Highway 61). … That’s going to help all of the agencies plan for needed improvements.”
Study findings
The study dived into the approximately 10-mile segment between Highway 61 in White Bear Lake to Highway 95 in Stillwater. Dahlheimer says the study focused on safety and multimodal improvements. “Often when we come through and do a study, there is a concern that we are expanding the roadway, but we are not looking at Highway SEE HIGHWAY 96, PAGE 15
IF YOU GO When: 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, May 4 Where: Crosswinds Community Church, 9125 Newgate Ave. N, Stillwater Details: Washington County will host its third and final open house for the Highway 96 corridor study. Attendees are encouraged to review the study recommendations online ahead of time and attend the in-person event to talk to staff, ask questions and discuss next steps. Study recommendations can be found online at https://tinyurl.com/bd22apa6. Contact: Maddie Dahlheimer, 651-430-4338
Get ready for major road upgrades BY LORETTA HARDING CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PHOTOS BY PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
MAP CONTRIBUTED
Work begins on Phase 1 of Bruce Vento Regional Trail expansion
Needed major road work is coming to Mahtomedi soon. So is the unavoidable inconvenience. Residents in or near Mahtomedi have approximately one year to get their errands done while they can still leave town. Or get back in. Within the next three years, two of three major portals in town will be closed. The Mahtomedi City Council at its April 7 meeting negotiated with Washington County engineers to make sure they both weren’t shut down at the same time. The city of Mahtomedi asked for a delay to the start of Highway 120/ Century Avenue turnback reconstruction until 2028 so that motorists could still get to I-694 (the west portal) while the turnback reconstruction on Highway 244/ Mahtomedi Avenue (the north portal through Dellwood) gets underway. Drivers will still be able to come and go using Hilton Trail and Highway 36 (east portal) during the entire road reconstruction period, but would probably encounter an unacceptably large traffic volume if that were the only way to come and go from town for two years or more. During the Highway 120 /Century Avenue North reconstruction project, the road will be excavated, infrastructure will be installed, and complete resurfacing will take place between County Road E/ Wildwood Road to I-694. The changes are expected to improve traffic flow and intersection control, improve pedestrian and bike
Grading is expected to begin this week for phase 1 of the Bruce Vento Regional Trail expansion project. See “Trail construction begins” on page 5 for more information.
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