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TRANSPORTATION

Hwy. 53 plan would include state’s highest bridge

MnDOT recommendation includes 1,100-foot span over mine pit

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 11/19/14

REGIONAL– Officials with the Minnesota Department of Transportation are recommending the construction of the highest bridge in Minnesota as part of their plan to realign a section of Hwy. 53, in …

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TRANSPORTATION

Hwy. 53 plan would include state’s highest bridge

MnDOT recommendation includes 1,100-foot span over mine pit

Posted

REGIONAL– Officials with the Minnesota Department of Transportation are recommending the construction of the highest bridge in Minnesota as part of their plan to realign a section of Hwy. 53, in Virginia.

The recommended alternative, known as E2, would include construction of a 1,100-foot-long bridge across Virginia’s Rouchleau Pit and comes with a $220 million estimated price tag.

It is one of several options that MnDOT engineers and designers have been investigating for the past four years as they attempt to meet a May 2017 deadline to vacate an existing section of Hwy. 53 to make way for expansion of United Taconite’s mining operations.

MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle, who traveled to Virginia for the announcement on Tuesday, said the selection of a preferred alternative means his agency will focus its resources on the E2 option starting now, but it doesn’t mean a final decision has been made.

“This is MnDOT’s best thinking, and we want to hear from the public,” said Zelle. “From an engineering and cost point-of-view, this route stands out. We expect that the environmental process taking place now will support it. However, we want to make sure we haven’t missed anything, and encourage comment on the recommendation.”

Initial local reaction to MnDOT’s announcement was strongly favorable. “It’s a great solution,” said state Rep. Jason Metsa, DFL-Virginia, speaking at a press conference at MnDOT’s local headquarters in Virginia. “It’s a solution that minimizes business impacts and with a total price tag that is less than what we had thought,” he said. “This is what the community has been asking for.”

Zelle said city officials in the Quad Cities had reacted positively as well during a private briefing in advance of the press conference.

The region’s Congressional delegation also weighed in quickly with support. “Moving forward with the E2 route will help ensure this project is done in a timely manner and boost the region’s economy as businesses can now plan around the route,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar. “I pushed MnDOT to take into account the economic needs and concerns of local residents, and I am happy that MnDOT has recommended a route that makes sense for the region.”

“The E2 Route will allow MnDOT to finish the project by 2017, at the lowest cost,” said Rep. Rick Nolan. “It makes sense for everyone who uses and depends on Hwy. 53 to travel and do business on the Iron Range.”

While the reaction to the plan was strongly positive, Zelle and Project Manager Pat Huston acknowledged that a long list of technical hurdles remain. The area slated for strip mining not only provides a critical transportation link for the region, but also public utilities that serve Virginia’s Midway district, as well as a recreational corridor for bicyclists and ATVers.

Zelle said some of the utility connections will likely be placed along the new bridge, although he said a natural gas line will need an alternate route given safety concerns.

While no decisions have been made surrounding the fate of ATV trails and the non-motorized Mesabi Trail, MnDOT officials will consider relocating those corridors along the bridge as well.

Huston said the E2 option stood out both for its lower price tag and for the relative ease of construction. The proposal would reroute Hwy. 53 to the east and north starting in the Midway district and cross the Rouchleau Pit at its narrowest point. Huston said that will allow MnDOT to build the bridge without the need to construct supports underwater. The Rouchleau Pit is deep and the bottom stability is not well known, which presents significant engineering complication. Another prospective option, known as E1a, would have meant construction of a much longer bridge across a deep section of the pit, requiring the construction of several supports anchored on the pit’s bottom.

Another alternative, known as M1, calls for rerouting the road through the active Auburn mine and comes with an estimated price tag of $460 million. It also presents a number of daunting technical hurdles of its own, according to Huston.

While the E2 option, at $220 million, is relatively inexpensive, it still represents an enormously costly project for MnDOT, which has a typical annual statewide construction budget of $500 million to $1 billion. But unlike the current stretch of road, which is routed across a temporary easement, Zelle said, this time, the state is insisting on a permanent agreement. That will entail the state purchasing mineral rights in the area from RGGS Lands and Minerals as well as the state’s school trust fund. But Huston said those costs are already included in the $220 million price tag.

MnDOT currently has $90 million budgeted for the project, but Zelle said the agency will tap funds statewide to undertake the construction. “This is obviously beyond the resources of any one district,” he said.

The proposed bridge, with a height of 200 feet or more, will make for a dramatic entrance to the city of Virginia, and Zelle said he expects it will become a regional visitor attraction. “I’m not an engineer, but I am a registered travel agent and I can say I’m very excited about this project.”

Next steps

The early selection of the preferred alternative, combined with MnDOT’s decision to use a relatively innovative design and construction process should allow the agency to substantially speed up the timeline for the project’s completion. Huston said MnDOT will be issuing a Request for Proposals soon to select a construction manager and general contractor as soon as early 2015.

MnDOT officials will work in cooperation with the private contractors on the highway and bridge design simultaneously to the environmental review process, shaving considerable time off the usual timeline. That should allow contractors to begin construction as early as next fall, once all the agencies involved issue records of decision on the environmental review. Even with the advanced timeline, however, Huston said it’s unlikely the project would be completed by the May 2017 deadline. “We’re pretty confident we can finish in the fall of 2017,” he said. “We’ll have to negotiate a new deadline with the mining company,” he said.