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Bridge will link industrial land to Interstate 94
Published 10:46am Monday, November 12, 2012While the benefits from the POW-MIA Memorial Bridge might not be felt by all residents immediately, its construction is crucial to the economic development of Fergus Falls in the future.
As a direct result of the bridge’s construction, the Fergus Falls Port Authority has decided to purchase three large pieces of land just west of I-94 Speedway. The roughly 90 acres of land will be added to about 50 acres in the area already owned by the Port Authority, and it will all be designated for industrial use, said Port Authority executive director Gordon Hydukovich.
“The bridge is the main reason to get excited about this,” he said.
This land would not have been practical to acquire without the construction of the bridge. The benefit, now, is that businesses that decide to move into the new land will have a “straight shot” to I-94 down Tower Road. Without the bridge, access to the interstate would have been impractical, he said.
Hydukovich said he anticipates a road will extend north from the point where Weyrens Road turns west. This road will be built right through the middle of the new land until it meets with an extended International Drive, which could stretch all the way to I-94.
Another reason the area might be appealing to a new business is that the railroad runs right through the new land, and there would be enough space on both the north and south side for spurs, potentially providing another means of shipping, he said.
Hydukovich said the Port Authority would be willing to break off pieces of land at any size to meet the needs of incoming businesses, but until businesses begin moving in, roads and utilities will not be extended.
The land was purchased for $500,000, a price Hydukovich said was a bargain. The Port Authority has not had to ask for money from the city since the mid-1990s, and because two contracts for deed were worked out for the recent land acquisition, it will be able to remain self-sufficient.
Tags: Tower Road bridge project
Access to the interstate impractical? Seriously? From the new traffic lights at Lincoln/Tower Road, it’s closer to go to the ramp by Perkins than it is to the Cty 1 ramp via the bridge. And, the semis won’t have to navigate through the very unfriendly-to-large-vehicles concrete roundabout. And as far as all the concrete “decoration” or whatever that is for on this project… I think someone forgot that we get snow around here. Plowing nightmare. The concrete median on the north side of the bridge…. I predict someone will hit that after a fresh snowfall, and end up upside down.