Project Update
Various construction crews have been working on multiple portions of Main Street throughout the week,
with activities occurring on Phase 4 (First Avenue to Fourth Avenue West) and on the west side of town
outside of the City Limits.
Early this week, the intersection of Main Street and First Avenue removals occurred, with the existing
pavement and concrete removed by Ottertail Aggregate in advance of the underground utility
improvements. With the removals, all traffic was redirected to Second Avenue East on the detour route
and back to Fourth Avenue utilizing Second Street South as the bypass through the zone. Following the
removal of the surface, R.L. Larson started the utility replacement in the intersection working on both the
sanitary sewer and storm sewer replacement throughout the week. Today, the intersection will be opened
on a temporary aggregate surface with four way stops to allow for traffic through the construction zone
due to the events scheduled for the weekend around town.
This week, the Full Depth Reclamation also began on the west side of town on County 80 from County
34/51 to Highway 10 west of town. The reclamation is being completed in sections and flaggers are being
used following an alternative traffic control method tried earlier this week. Full Depth Reclamation is a
rehabilitation method in which the full thickness of the asphalt pavement is pulverized and blended with a
portion of the underlying aggregate base to provide a new base for the roadway. Please be advised that if
you are coming into town on the roadway, it may be beneficial to utilize other roadways (County 34) as you
may be delayed by the construction activities and the flaggers required to complete the work.
On Tuesday, a drone was used to fly over the construction zone showing the various activities downtown.
Attached is a view of the activities from Fourth Avenue West looking toward downtown.
Upcoming Activities
Next week, R.L. Larson will continue with the underground utility replacement on Main Street. They will primarily work on the sanitary sewer main lines from First Avenue to the west. The intersection of First
Avenue will again be shut down for a portion of the week to allow for storm sewer modifications, please
follow detour signage when the detour is in place. Keep in mind that although the detour will be up, the
DOWNTOWN IS OPEN! Access to downtown businesses can be made through the alleys north of Main
Street and the side avenues up to the roadway. Please follow the link at the bottom of the page, which
redirects you to the Perham Chamber’s website and includes a map of access to various facilities.
Sidewalks will also remain in place as long as possible to allow pedestrian access to the various businesses
in the construction phase.
The reclamation of County 80 west of town will also continue over the course of next week, which consists
of mixing the existing pavement and aggregate to allow for a new base for the upcoming pavement of the
highway. As advised earlier, alternative routes into town are recommended, if possible, to avoid delays
caused by the construction activities.
If you have any questions, or want additional information on the project, the Perham Chamber of
Commerce has created a webpage dedicated to the project, which can be accessed at this link
(https://www.perham.com/2024msrp/). For more specific questions, feel free to contact the City Engineer,
Jade Berube, via email at jade.berube@apexenggroup.com, or City Manager, Jonathan Smith at
jsmith@cityofperham.com.