Albertville Awaits State's Interchange Decision Before Snow Flies

The I-94 interchange project is still in progress and the city engineer is awaiting the Minnesota Department of Transportation's review. Word should come from Distict 3 in St. Cloud by the end of the month, according to city staff.

“The City of Albertville is working to address review comments as they are received. The state’s review of the plans is very comprehensive and includes review and evaluation by multiple divisions within MnDOT. The city will be meeting with MnDOT staff at the end of the month to finalize plan details,” Albertville city engineer Adam Nafstad shared via email.

Because I-94 is both a federal and state highway, all plans and designs must be approved by MnDOT prior to any bidding.

“The next step for Albertville will be to advertise and bid the project,”  Nafstad continued. "Once bids are received, the  ity can make its final determination as to the financial feasibility of the project and whether or not to move forward with the project. “

The project cost is an estimated $11 million and Albertville has secured 71 percent of that. Options for financing include: “bonding, special assessments, and municipal state-aid,” wrote Nafstad. “Also available to the city is the state's Transportation Revolving Loan Fund (TRLF), which is a low interest loan program that we have received approvals for.”

While the state shutdown did slow things down a little bit, the project still is on track and scheduled to be completed by December 2012. The hope is that construction can commence this fall before winter.