The bidding process for a project to widen a 9-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 53 north is expected to open in October.

The project aims to widen a stretch between Rice River and the city limits of Cook from two lanes to four lanes to make travel safer and more efficient

Over the span of about a year, the Highway 53 four-lane Improvement Task Force has  secured roughly $38 million in federal and state funding for the project.

The current delay is that the Minnesota Department of Transportation is awaiting wetland permit approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“We’re expecting the permits to be coming any time now,” said Bob Anderson, chairman of the task force. He added he was concerned about what would happen to the secured funding with the delays in being able to open bidding on the project.

He believes the contract will be let in October or November, and is hoping work on the highway can begin in the winter, he said. With that plan, the highway project would be complete by summer of 2014.

“It will be a much safer drive and much more efficient for travelers,” Anderson said.

The project would include a new bridge over the Rice River to bypass the residential area along the highway.

“There will be less driveways to worry about,” he said, adding that a frontage road would also be added about 5 or 6 miles south of Cook to provide access to a few businesses.

Anderson added that if the bidding opens at the expected time, the timing would be just right.

“It fits well with our construction plan,” he said, explaining that the ground would be frozen to allow clearing of trees, and by summer, construction could begin.

Although funding has been set aside for the project, the delays left Anderson worried, he said.

“We (the task force) were certainly anxious, we certainly wanted to keep moving,” he said. “We’re high with anticipation to see what the bid comes out to be.”

Depending on the numbers, there may be some money left over for another project — adding a passing lane north of Cook. The exact location of that is not yet determined.

“It would certainly add to the safety — a lot of folks on that highway are pulling boats, trailers, campers in the summer, and hauling logs in the winter, so it’s difficult to pass with the traffic and do it safely.”

 

Ash River and Kabetogama

The task force is also working to secure funding to add turn lanes at Ash River Visitors Center and at the intersection to Kabetogama.

The lanes would be added as left-turn lanes. The cost of the project would be about $600,000, and funds would come from the Federal Highway Administration and the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Anderson said the task force has received support for the project from the communities of Virginia, Cook and Orr and from St. Louis and Koochiching counties.

The task force has sent letters to the Federal Highway Administrations and has received letters of support from MnDOT. It also sent letters to members of congress and senators who represent the area.

“Our primary concern is the safety of Highway 53,” Anderson said. “It’s a very important road to International Falls and the communities along the way.”