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MnDOT officials unveiled a timeline for the bridge project to about 40 people during a public meeting Thursday night. Officials did not discuss bridge specifics such as the location, number of lanes and type of structure, saying those issues would be addressed later in the project.
One component of the overall timeline — the construction date of 2014 — should be unaffected by the state’s current budget deficit, said Jai Kalsy, MnDOT project engineer.
“At this time, I don’t have any indication it would,” he said.
Keeping the existing bridge open during construction remains a top priority, though its too early in the process to ensure that will happen, Kalsy said.
Officials will first focus on developing a statement of purpose and need, which is essentially a mission statement, he said.
“It will form the foundation of the rest of the design process,” he said. “It’s something we can go back and refer to throughout the project.”
Officials expect an origin-destination study for the bridge should be completed later this month, and aerial mapping and digitized terrain modeling will start in January.
Officials said they will provide many opportunities for public input through the process. The next public meeting will likely take place in early spring, and MnDOT will launch a Web page related to the project off its site in early January, Kalsy said. MnDOT officials also plan to put together a stakeholder group including one representative from every key local group that will be consulted more regularly through the process, he said.
