2016 work focused on 8th Avenue North
The Highway 4 through St. James project will officially start on Tuesday, July 19 with the reconstruction of 8th Avenue North. NO detour for Highway 4 traffic will be required in 2016, but the crossing of 8th Avenue North may be limited. Construction will continue in 2017 and 2018.
Highway 4 through the city of St. James is in poor condition and in disrepair. The city utility infrastructure is also in poor condition and is currently experiencing multiple breaks each winter. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) received municipal consent for the projects project in December 2014. The project includes reconstruction of approximately 1.6 miles of Highway 4, including two new mini-roundabouts. Benefits will include a smoother road surface, improved safety and mobility, decreased maintenance of roadway and utilities and enhanced pedestrian accommodations.
S M Hentges & Sons, Inc. of Jordan was awarded the contract with a bid of $15,685,646 (about $3.2 million less than the lowest bid in February).
The Highway 4 construction project also received an innovative grant. The Federal Highway Administration announced that MnDOT and the City of St. James have been awarded a demonstration grant to construct two mini-roundabouts and back-in-diagonal parking as part of the Highway 4 reconstruction project in 2016-2017. The Accelerated Innovation Deployment grant is for $864,000 and will be applied to the shared cost of the mini-roundabouts replacing signalized Highway 4 intersections with 7th Street and Armstrong Boulevard in St. James.
The Highway 4 project extends from Highway 4 south of 10th Avenue South (Watonwan County Fairgrounds) to 11th Avenue North, and includes utility replacement throughout the project, upgrading sidewalk and pedestrian ramps for safe ADA accessible accommodations, lighting, and intersection and access revisions.
A complete list of the project elements includes:
+ Reconstruction of Highway 4 from approximately 200 feet south of 10th Avenue South to 11th Avenue North.
+ Realignment of 7th Avenue South to address the skew and increase safety.
+ Construction of mini-roundabouts at the two existing signals on 1st Avenue.
+ Back-in parallel parking provided downtown.
+ Replacement of existing sidewalk and installation of new sidewalk.
+ All pedestrian accommodations brought up to Americans with Disability Act (ADA) standards.
+ An upgrade city utility infrastructure – storm sewer throughout the corridor.
+ An upgrade of lighting standards and fixtures.
+ Downtown aesthetics at the two involved intersections will include pedestrian ramp ornamental trees, landscape berm and vegetable screen, benches, trash receptacles, stamped and stained concrete as part of the mini-roundabouts, planters, raised planters, hanging baskets and decorative lighting.
The Highway 4 improvements will additionally require the removal of approximately 130 trees within St. James, including more than 50 Green Ash trees. The tree removal is necessary to complete the street and underground utility work. Arborists have carefully examined more than 200 trees, the effect the proposed construction activity would have on the tree’s immediate health, and ongoing well-being of the tree prior to determining if tree would need to be removed.
Native trees will be planted along Highway 4 in residential areas following completion of construction work. Approximately 130 new trees of 8-10 different varieties will provide a diversified and sustainable urban forest in St. James. In addition, the City of St. James will remove about 75 trees on city streets in working on a reforestation plan.
The construction schedule for the multi-year project is as follows:
+ July-October 2016 – Major construction on 8th Avenue North.
+ May-October 2017 – Major construction from 10th Avenue South to Westin Avenue. (Requires a yet-to-be-determined Highway 4 detour).
+ May-September 2018 – Major construction from Westin Avenue to 11th Avenue North, (Highway 4 detour routes will include Highway 4 and Watonwan County Roads 57, 56 and 55. Local access to businesses and residences will be maintained.)
+ May-June 2019 – Finishing work.
Weekly construction meetings will be held on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. at the St. James Community Room starting July 20. For an updated construction staging map visit www.mndot.gov/stjames.
