by April Scheinoha
Editor
Next month, the Pennington County State Aid Highway 11 project is expected to begin in Thief River Falls. At its meeting Tuesday, May 12, the Pennington County Board accepted the low bid for the project.
Davidson Construction had the low bid of $3,619.100.35, according to County Engineer Mike Flaagan. The engineer’s estimate was $3,842,191.93.
Other bidders included Spruce Valley Corporation, $3,914,163.98, and RJ Zavoral & Sons, $3,971,417.66.
County Engineer Mike Flaagan expected that the project may begin sometime around Monday, June 1. The project is expected to be completed Oct. 15. However, the final lift will be placed on the roadway in June 2027.
Davidson Construction will reconstruct CSAH 11 (formerly known as County Road 62) north of the Kendall Avenue curve to an area near Hanson Drive.
The firm will also complete a rural reconstruction of 150th Avenue Northeast from CSAHs 8 to 11.
As part of the project, CSAH 11 will be widened by two feet. A paved eight-foot multi-use trail will be constructed on the north side. The trail will be able to be used as a parking lane in addition to a pedestrian lane. The highway will be shifted slightly south and lowered.
Commissioners approved an agreement with the Minnesota Department of Transportation for a Local Road Improvement Program. The agreement pertains to the LRIP grant for the 150th Avenue Northeast project. The amount was determined to be $721,398.10. Flaagan noted the remainder of the $1.5 million LRIP grant will be applied to CSAH 11.
According to information provided at last year’s Five-Year Road and Bridge Plan Hearing, it is expected that the remainder of the project will be covered by state aid and local funding.