Caledonia Argus

Long-awaited Root River bridge project begins

Posted: 7/16/02

By Shannon McKinney
Argus News Reporter

The Root River Bridge and three other bridges north of it on State Hwy. 16 are finally being taken out of commission. And none too soon according to Brian Jergenson of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). ìIf the project hadnít gotten going when it did, we were getting very close to closing the road,î he said.

The bridge going over the Root River was built in 1931 while some of the other smaller ones were built in 1925. The bridges have been the subject of much discussion and planning over the past several years because of their state of disrepair.

Jergenson described them as being in extremely bad shape. ìTheyíre structurally poor, the bridge decks are falling apart, chunks of concrete are falling away. Structures are weakening. We continuously inspect them and make repairs to make them safe,î he said.

The project for replacing the four bridges located between Hokah on State Hwy. 16 and County 21 was originally slated to begin in the summer of 2000, but was delayed because of MnDOTís need to address the environmental, historical and right-of-way issues.

There had been a question that some of the dwellings that needed to be removed had historical significance. That was later proven not to be the case. Most of the delay, however, involved getting clear titles on properties. ìThere wasnít a clear title in the courthouse. We essentially didnít know who owned it,î Jergenson explained of some of the properties.

The state had to buy some of the properties and structures in Hokah such as the Kwik Trip, a car wash and property that some houses and sheds were located on. A total of about $1.9 million was spent on the costs to buy land for right-of-way. A total of 42 parcels was affected.

Almost half of the right of way costs, $800,000, went to buy .29 acres for the land Kwik Trip is located on. That payment also included the building and pumps.

Ten to twelve years ago, the right-of-way department had budgeted only $250,000 for acquiring land. But since then, inflation and expansion of the project has upped the costs. Although the current project is for two lanes, the state has purchased enough right-of-way it to four lanes. Also, enough land was needed to raise the height, double the length of the bridge and widen it by 60 feet to accommodate flooding.

The total project will cost $12.3 million. The federal government will pay for $9.7 million, the state will pay for $2.5 million and Hokah will share $89,416 in some of the costs of upgrades to its utilities.

Jergenson said the community has wanted the project for a couple years. ìOur records indicate that well over 90% are pleased with the final outcome,î he said.

Kjersti Anderson, project engineer, said there are 14 buildings in all that will be demolished.They include eight sheds, four houses, and two businesses, Kwik Trip and a car wash. ìMost of the businesses have vacate dates sometime in September,î she said.

All of the buildings will first have to be inspected for asbestos. Then, professionals will remove any asbestos before demolition. Anderson said she is not sure how long the demolition process will take, ìIt all depends on construction and asbestos evaluation.î

Construction to have three phases

The project has been divided into three phases. The first phase began July 8, with closing down Hwy. 16 north of Hokah to CSAH 21. Traffic is detoured through CSAH 7. The Root River Bridge will be closed for the duration of the project, until November 2003.

During this phase, three bridges will be worked on, including the bridge going over the Root River.

In the summer of 2003, the second phase will close Hwy. 16 from CSAH 21 to Hwy. 26. The CSAH 7 to Hwy. 26 detour will still be in place, however, those living on CSAH 21 will have to find another route to Hwy. 16, probably using CSAH 25 to get to either La Crescent or Hokah. Those who are living on Hwy. 16 where the construction will be taking place will be provided with another access. Anderson said, ìPeople who live through there will be able to get through. Some will be on new alignment.î During that second phase, there will be some re-grading and the addition of box culverts.

During the third phase, which is scheduled to take place between June 22, 2003 and November 2003, Hwy. 16 will be closed from about 900 feet west of Hwy. 44 to CSAH 7. Hwy. 44 will be closed from Hwy. 16 to about 600 feet south. Local access will be maintained on these segments in Hokah, but no through traffic between CSAH 18 and CSAH 7 will be allowed.

Therefore, Hwy. 16 traffic will detour via Hwy. 76 to Houston, to CSAH 9, to CSAH 21 and CSAH 25. Hwy. 44 traffic will detour via CSAH 18 and Hwy. 26.

Anderson said this is a major project. The most challenging part of the project is phase 3. ìItís a very short time line and we have a lot of work to do,î she explained.

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