by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
As soon as a series of soil borings is completed this spring, specific plans can begin for reconstruction on segments of Pinecone Road and from 27th Street N. from Pinecone Road all the way to Riverside Avenue.
Sartell City Engineer Jon Halter outlined the projects for the Sartell City Council at a recent meeting. New soil borings will be added to soil borings that had previously been taken, and together they will form the basis for a feasibility study for the road projects.
The borings will be done at different depths depending on sewer and water utilities, with an average depth of about five feet. The soil samples will then be analyzed and will determine which kind of surfacing would be best for the road portions – for instance concrete or bituminous.
The sections of Pinecone Road in the feasibility study include an overlay from Seventh Street N. (by Pine Meadow Elementary School) to 15th Street N. (one of the city’s busiest intersections); reconstruction of Pinecone Road from 15th Street N. to 35th Street N.; and a road widening and surface overlay of 27th Street N. from Pinecone Road to Riverside Avenue.
A huge part of the Pinecone Road project will be its connections to the new high school, which will be built near Oak Ridge Elementary School. There are plans for a roundabout east of the new school. About 100 soil borings will also be done on the site of the new school, as well as a traffic study in that area. Wetland impacts will also be determined in the school area, as well as drainage plans and routing of storm-water and sewer services.
Bike-hike paths will also be part of the project so students who walk or bike to school will be safer.
The estimated cost of the feasibility study is $11,602. The council voted to give unanimous approval for the study.
Sartell City Engineer Jon Halter
