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Pebble Lake lights coming this year [UPDATED]
Published 10:45am Friday, February 10, 2012 Updated 10:58am Friday, February 10, 2012The long awaited traffic lights at the intersection of Pebble Lake Road and State Highway 210 are a step closer to completion. County Engineer Rick West told members of the county board on Tuesday that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will commence bids March 23 for the signals and roadway improvements.
“We’ll hopefully see this project completed this year, in 2012,” said West.
The total cost of the project is about $800,000, shared three ways by MnDOT, Otter Tail County and Fergus Falls. For the base project cost, the city and county were set to each pay 25 percent of the project cost while MnDOT was set to pay half. The payment structure was set up that way because the Highway 210 intersection with Pebble Lake Road is owned by the state of Minnesota, while Fergus Falls operates the north stretch of the road and Otter Tail County operates the south stretch.
However, individual units of government will pay for special improvements needed on their portions of the roadway. Since most of the improvements will be needed on the Highway 210 portion of the road, the city and the county will be paying much less than 25 percent.
The city’s share will be $84,000, down from an original estimate of $102,000. The county will be paying about $87,000.
The north/south traffic along Pebble Lake Road will be considered the primary traffic corridor, meaning that the north/south lights will be green more often than the east/west lights.
County and city officials say the plan to install traffic lights at the intersection of State Highway 210 and Pebble Lake Road in Fergus Falls is long overdue.
Semi-truck traffic coming from both the west and east along State Highway 210 can create problems in the intersection. Heavy traffic along Pebble Lake Road, combined with the trucks’ slow acceleration time, results in not only long waits but also dangerous traffic situations.
Civic leaders say the ability for semi-trucks to move easily along State Highway 210 is critical to the economy of Fergus Falls. Many businesses rely on those semi-trucks to deliver and ship products.
On another road-related issue, West told the county board that Friberg Avenue (Highway 1) overlay is completed. Later on, Friberg Avenue running from the levee to Fir Avenue will become the jurisdiction for the city of Fergus Falls.
In a swap of sorts, the county will assume jurisdiction of Tower Road from the area of Fleet Farm southward across the new bridge over the Otter Tail River, and on to Interstate 94.
How the h*** do stop-lights cost $800,000?!?!?!?
While “installing stop-lights” may seem trivial enough, you have to consider that a project of this caliber involves a lot of planning, labor, and supplies. City workers can’t just slap up a couple posts and call it a day.