New lane design set for Third Avenue Southeast
Jul. 28—Answer Man,
Whatever happened to the plan to change Third Avenue, east of the Olmsted County Fairgrounds? I thought the mess of changing lanes was finally going to get fixed this summer, but when I went to get my annual funnel cake, it was as confusing as ever.
Frustrated fairgoer
Fairgoer,
Plans continue to
modify the lanes along Third Street Southeast,
south of U.S. Highway 14.
The current roadway, which is also known as County Road 146, has multiple lane changes from block to block, making it a possible breeding ground for the demolition derby, but Olmsted County Public Works is hoping to change that.
The plans were announced in March, but the bidding process for the project, which includes resurfacing the 1.3-mile stretch of road, wrapped up earlier this month.
With the new surface, new lane striping will create a travel lane in each direction, with a two-way left-turn lane between them. Other work will include upgrading the traffic signal at 16th Street and making modifications at corners to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The conversion to three lanes won't immediately start at Highway 14, which is also known as 12th Street Southeast, since the city street headed north will continue to have four lanes. The southern section of Third Street will be designed to merge the traffic.
The anticipated contract is set to be approved by county commissioners on Monday, with the sole bid for the project coming in at nearly $724,000 from Rochester Sand & Gravel.
Assistant Olmsted County Engineer Nathan Arnold told one of my minions the bid is a 6.7% savings compared to the county's previous estimate for the overall project.
The consistency between the Highway 14 intersection and the street's connection to South Broadway Avenue is expected to help reduce crashes throughout the corridor that passes east of Graham Park.
While curbs and access points aren't expected to be changed on the south end of the project, where drivers can become leery as some turn into a Starbucks at the west and others access the the long drive to Walmart at east, Arnold said the addition of a center turn lane is expected to reduce potential conflict points and delays on the roadway.
With another solid answer provided, my county-connected minion pointed out that I'd be remiss if I didn't add that the site of
this week's fair
is only "the Olmsted County Fairgrounds" one week out of the year. The remaining 51 weeks, its designation is Graham Park, since the site has become home to a variety of public and private events.
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