Construction has occurred on all four phases of the project this week, with Parson’s Electric, Central
Specialties, R.L. Larson, Aqua Lawn, Knife Lake Concrete, and Ottertail Aggregate working throughout Main
Street. On Monday morning, Central Specialties began paving the final course of pavement on County
Highway 80 from U.S. Highway 10 west of town. With the final inch and a half of pavement, Central
Specialties continued the operation through Phases 2 and 3 to the intersection of Fourth Avenue West,
while also paving the connecting avenues to the new roadway.
On Tuesday, Ottertail Aggregate completed the placement and grading of the aggregate base for the new roadway in Phase 4, hauling in the last of the material next to the concrete curb and gutter that was placed late last week. Following the final tolerancing of the aggregate, Central Specialties paved the bottom three and a half inches of Main Street in Phase 4 on Wednesday, pulling the first two inches from the side
avenues to cover the aggregate base.
Thursday, Central Specialties shifted operations to the east side of town, starting at Highway 10 to near the
intersection of Second Avenue East. The final paving on the east side will be completed today, leaving
roughly four blocks of the final course to be paved following the completion of the other construction
activities from Fourth Avenue West to Second Avenue East. Central Specialties plans to remove their
bituminous plant from just outside of town throughout the weekend, with the last of the pavement to be
produced at around noon today. Remaining paving materials will be produced from one of their other
plants when the project area is ready.
In addition to surface improvements on Phase 4, Parson’s Electric has continued to run the electrical conduits for the future outlets at tree locations. In addition to the electrical conduits, light foundations
have been poured on Phase 4 in advance of the new lights that will be one of the last items installed during
this year’s construction. In addition to new light foundations and electrical conduits, Aqua Lawn installed
the new irrigation system that will be used to irrigate the plants and trees to be planted this fall.
On Thursday, Knife Lake Concrete returned to the site to begin construction of the sidewalk and driveways
on Phase 4 and Seventh Avenue Southeast. On Thursday, they focused on the intersection of Fourth
Avenue West, then moved to the south side of Main Street between First and Third Avenue West to begin
setting forms for the placement of the ribbon and boulevard concrete walk (normal colored concrete)
today.
Upcoming Activities
Next week on Phase 4, Knife Lake Concrete will be focusing on the pouring of the colored concrete on the
south side of Main Street between First and Third Avenue West on Monday, then moving to the north side
of the roadway between First and Third Avenue, completing the ribbon and boulevard walks first by midweek, with the colored portion completed the following days. During the construction of the sidewalks,
there will be a day for each pour where the front doors to various businesses may not be accessible from
Main Street. Downtown businesses are still open, with many providing access through back doors during
this short timeframe.
Following the completion of the sidewalk work between First and Third Avenue West, a similar process will
be followed to construct the new sidewalk on the last block of Phase 4, between Third and Fourth Avenue
West. The schedule for this work is anticipated to be updated by the next update, following the review of
the progress throughout the week.
In the rural section of the project, Ottertail Aggregate will begin placing the shouldering material along the
new roadway which has been crushed from the previous pavement. This material will be placed under
traffic but may require minor delays for those traveling on the new pavement.
With the delays associated with the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe crossing permits on Second Avenue
Northeast, the utility work beneath the railroad will be delayed to the spring of 2025. This work was
originally planned for this year, which is the reason for the current state of the intersection of Second
Avenue East north of Main Street. Because of the delay, storm sewer inlets on the north side of the
intersection that were originally planned for the phase will be constructed this year to allow for drainage
throughout the winter. This work will be occurring early next week, which will require the re-opening of
the intersection of First Avenue for a day and the temporary removal of the detour. Currently, this work is
planned for Monday and will be completed throughout the workday before the detour is moved back to
Second Avenue East.
Parson’s Electric will continue work on Phase 4, with equipment arriving on site mid-week to begin placing
the new signal poles at the intersection of First Avenue. Following the placement of the signal poles, they
will continue working on the wiring and cabinets which will be placed in the sidewalk southeast of the
signals to operate the new system.