Community

planning celebration

in November

MANKATO — After three construction seasons and multiple detours in the city of St. James, the Highway 4 reconstruction will be wrapping up and detour removed the week of October 22-26.

The $15.7 million Highway 4 project included reconstruction from 10th Avenue South to 11th Avenue North in the city of St. James and the realignment of 7th Avenue South. It also included numerous city side streets being reconstructed as well as resurfacing a county road. Mini-roundabouts replaced traffic signals on 1st Avenue and back-in diagonal parking was installed downtown. Sidewalk has been replaced and added and pedestrian accommodations now meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards with improved lighting and aesthetics downtown.

The project also allowed the city of St. James to upgrade utilities and storm sewer throughout the corridor. City leaders are planning to celebrate their new roadway in November and the public will be invited.

“While I’m certain that St. James residents and businesses are breathing a sigh of relief to have this lengthy process completed,” said Zak Tess, project manager. “I’d like to thank the community for staying engaged throughout the entire project – the planning, the design and the construction. We realize that everyone did not initially support the mini-roundabouts or the back-in parking; however, we do feel our partnership with St. James and Watonwan County was successful and that the community will benefit from these safety features for years to come.”

For updated road condition information, call 511 or visit www.511mn.org