Forest Lake intersection where students were struck slated for safety update

Mary Divine, Pioneer Press
Updated ·5 min read

The intersection where two Forest Lake Area High School students were seriously injured Tuesday when they were struck by a car on U.S. Highway 61 is slated for a major safety update in 2029, officials said Wednesday.

The boys, both 15, were crossing U.S. 61 in the crosswalk at 202nd Street North with other members of the Forest Lake Area High School track team about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when they were struck by Robert L. Creager, 84, of Lindstrom, who was driving a 2001 Cadillac DeVille southbound on U.S. 61, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

The two boys, who were flown by helicopter to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, were “receiving the best care possible” at the hospital, Principal Jim Caldwell and Superintendent Steve Massey wrote in an email sent to families and staff. “The families are in good spirits and continue to appreciate the prayers and positive thoughts from our Forest Lake Area Schools community. We continue to hold these students and their families in our thoughts and our hearts as they begin the process of recovery.”

Creager, the driver, suffered non-life threatening injuries as a result of the crash, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. State Patrol officials expect to release the names of the boys at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Plans call for a stoplight to be erected at the intersection of U.S. Highway 61 and 202nd Street, also known as Washington County Road 50, if funding becomes available, said Wayne Sandberg, Washington County’s director of public works and county engineer. The area is considered a “critical crossing location” and an area of rapid development in Forest Lake, he said.

Pedestrians currently rely on a rapid-flash beacon to increase driver awareness when they cross the highway, which has a 55 mph speed limit.

Crash data statistics from the past 10 years, provided by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, show there was a previous serious injury accident in 2015; minor injury accidents in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022, and one possible injury accident in 2018. There also have been 17 property-damage-only accidents through that period, according to MnDOT.

In 2015, Washington County added center turn lanes at the intersection. Eastbound vehicles currently share a combined left-turn and through lane, Sandberg said. The city of Forest Lake later added the flashing light and marked pedestrian crosswalk, Sandberg said.

Seeking funds

County officials last year began advocating for federal funds to help cover the cost of a stoplight at the intersection — recognizing that vehicle, pedestrian and bike traffic all will increase as nearby development continues, Sandberg said.

“It’s a growing area of the county — and of Forest Lake,” he said. “We’ve been monitoring the intersection for quite a few years, and we’ve been making improvements in a phased way as we needed to manage the growth. … It’s getting busy enough where it makes sense to add a stoplight.”

The county’s bid for Regional Solicitation funds, the competitive process to award federal transportation funding to projects that meet regional transportation needs, states that the project is needed “for increased safety and efficiency” and would include a dedicated westbound left turn lane, a raised median on Washington County 50 and a signalized traffic control.”

The project, estimated to cost about $2.1 million, would provide a range of crossing-safety features, including pedestrian-signal heads with countdown timers, audible signals, high-visibility markings, and leading pedestrian intervals — replacing the flashing beacon that exists today, according to Washington County.

County officials won’t know until this summer whether their bid for $1.7 million in federal funding for the project was successful, he said.

If the county is successful, plans call for the stoplight to be installed in 2029. “We know that is a ways away,” Sandberg said. “We would immediately start looking for ways to push that up, if feasible, but really there has to be funding available to do that.”

About 9,400 cars pass through the intersection each day on U.S. Highway 61; about 2,000 cars pass through the intersection each day on 202nd St., he said.

“This intersection is busy, but so are many others,” he said. “We had already decided this would be a good candidate for (a stoplight), but there’s a process to do that. We also have to have time to design it and engage the community.”

The intersection involves three jurisdictions: MnDOT, the county and the city. It’s also right in the Forest Lake Airport runway approach, he said.

“We’ve got many stakeholders to work with,” he said. “It will take time to design it properly and to buy the land to widen the road to do it. If we’re successful in getting the money awarded, then we would start to look at ways to bump that (time frame) up, but, really, we have to have the dollars to build it. You’ve got to have $2 million.”

‘Tragic situation’

Improving the intersection, about a mile south of the high school, would enhance access to the school, Forest Lake Sports Center, Trailside Senior Living Apartments, Forest Lake YMCA, Hardwood Creek Library and other local destinations, county officials wrote in their bid summary.

It also would provide a safe and accessible crossing of US 61 for community members and trail users, including children, the elderly and people with mobility impairments; improve a highly-utilized, direct link to the Hardwood Creek Regional Trail, which will eventually connect the Bruce Vento Regional Trail in Ramsey County with the Sunrise Prairie Regional Trail, according to Washington County.

Sandberg said Wednesday that his heart goes out to the boys and their families.

“It’s a tragic, tragic situation,” he said. “We’re working as best we can to make improvements. It’s not something that we want to see on our county highways – or any road in the county.”

In 2016, MnDOT crews replaced signalized intersections on U.S. Highway 61 with roundabouts at Forest Lake Boulevard and Scandia Trail North. The $10.1 million project also included a new pedestrian bridge, improved walking and bicycle trails and crossings, and upgraded lighting.

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