by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
The Sartell City Council gave a unanimous go-ahead at a July 10 public hearing for designs and preparations of the Pinecone School-Road Project.
A feasibility study for the estimated $6.1-million project undertaken by Short Elliott Hendrickson had been presented to the council at its June 12 meeting by Jon Halter, employee of SEH and Sartell city engineer. Halter also gave the design-plans presentation to the council at the July 10 meeting.
There are 23 residents who live along or near that northern part of Pinecone Road, and they will be assessed for about one-sixth the cost of the project. The rest will be paid for by the city with half-cent regional sales-tax revenue.
The Pinecone reconstruction plan is crucial to the construction of a new high school for efficient traffic flow and safety for motorists, students and pedestrians. The study was done with safety factors uppermost in mind. The new high school, authorized by voters last year, will be built near Oak Ridge Elementary School.
There will be changes made to Pinecone Road from 15th Street N., near where Celebration Lutheran Church is located, all the way north to 35th Street N.
From 15th to 27th Street there will be a three-lane bituminous road with a continuous middle left-turn lane for both directions. There will be a widened 10-foot trail to the east of Pinecone stretching from 15th to 27th.
The sewer and water lines will also be upgraded along that stretch of Pinecone, as well as lighting installed along the road.
There will be roundabouts constructed at 27th Street and 35th Street, with a three-way access onto the property of the high school. Buses will enter the school property at 35th Street N.
The speed limit along Pinecone Road will be 40 mph, but there will be reduced speed zones during school-session hours, and vehicles will have to slow down to negotiate the roundabouts. Halter noted the roundabouts had to be made a bit wider because farmers in that area expressed concerns about maneuvering around them with their larger field equipment.
Halter said the design process and other preparations will continue through the summer and into the fall, with construction slated to begin in June 2018. The school will open in late fall of 2019.
Halter said throughout the design process, SEH will be in contact with the 23 residents who live along or near the construction project to inform them and to listen to their concerns.
