- What project is being considered for US Highway 10 at Wadena?
- What is the purpose of this highway improvement project?
- What is the schedule for the project?
- What is the environmental review process? Why is it done?
- Who is managing the project and doing the work?
- When will I know if the project will affect my home or business?
- What roles do the City of Wadena and Wadena County play?
- How can I get involved in this project?
- Where can I get more information?
A 6.1-mile segment of US Highway 10 through Wadena is the
only remaining two-lane segment of this road in the state. This two-lane segment begins at Bluffton in
Otter Tail County and extends eastward to a point 1.5 miles east of
Wadena. The plan is to expand the
two-lane segment to four lanes, either along the existing alignment of Highway
10, or using one of three bypass alternatives that skirt the city on the north.
Go to Top
The US Highway 10 Wadena project has been proposed for a number of reasons. The portion of Highway 10 that travels through Wadena is the final remaining two-lane segment on this corridor. All other segments of the highway have been expanded to four lanes (expansion of Highway 10 at Staples began Summer 2007). In addition to completing this system linkage, the project has been proposed in order to prepare for the increased number of trips that are forecast for the system, as well as to correct the existing high number of access points along the highway. Detailed needs and benefit statements are currently being developed for the project's DEIS and should be available Winter 2007/2008.
Go to Top
A Scoping Decision Document was
completed in 2004. This document
identified three bypass alternatives (all skirting the city on the north) and a
through-town alternative along existing US Highway 10 as alternatives for
further study. The next step is
completion of preliminary design for the roadway alternatives and evaluation of
the alternatives through an environmental review process. The project is scheduled for detailed design
and acquisition of right-of-way after 2008; construction is anticipated to
begin in approximately 2016.
Go to Top
The environmental review process was established by the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) passed by Congress in 1972. NEPA requires completion of an environmental
review whenever a project that uses federal funding has the potential to cause
environmental, physical, social, or economic impacts.
Although Mn/DOT completed environmental documentation for US
Highway 10 in the 1980s, an updated environmental process was begun in 2001 for
the 6.1-mile segment of US Highway 10 from Bluffton east through Wadena. Mn/DOT
found that environmental regulations concerning wetlands had changed, requiring
a reconsideration of the previous alignment. In addition, the Wadena airport had relocated, making it desirable to
look at additional alternatives from a City of Wadena perspective.
The Scoping Decision
Document (2004) identified four alternatives and a No-Build Alternative for
further study in the Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DEIS). The Scoping Decision Document also
identified the issues that will require detailed study in the DEIS, begun in
summer 2006.
The DEIS is
intended to provide information to guide decision makers on a proposed action,
and is used to evaluate impacts resulting from the proposed alternatives. For the US Highway 10 project, the DEIS must
evaluate these impacts:
- Bikeways and pedestrian impacts
- Construction impacts
- Contaminated sites
- Economic impacts
- Erosion control and slope stability
- Farmland impacts
- Fish and wildlife
- Floodplains
- Groundwater and geology
- Historic and archaeological
resources
- Land use and land development
- Noise
- Park, recreation and open space
- Right-of-way and relocations
- Social impacts
- Stream/water modifications
- Threatened or endangered species
- Traffic impacts
- Vegetation
- Visual impacts
- Water quality
- Wetlands
- Cumulative
Impacts
The DEIS evaluates these impacts for each proposed
alternative. Findings from the DEIS will
be presented to the public at an open house, and will be reviewed by state and
local officials and agencies during a comment period.
Mn/DOT, as the
project manager, will consider the evaluation of alternatives and impacts in the
DEIS and comments from the public and local and state agency officials, in
identifying a Preferred Alternative. Mn/DOT’s identification of the Preferred Alternative must be reviewed by
the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which provides ultimate approval on
the Preferred Alternative.
The Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is focused on the Preferred
Alternative and any impacts caused by it. The FEIS will respond to substantive public and agency comments on the
DEIS, and will describe all mitigation required as a result of the impacts
caused by the Preferred Alternative. The
FEIS documents Mn/DOT’s and FHWA’s commitment to carrying out the mitigation
measures necessary to address Preferred Alternative impacts.
Go to Top
Mn/DOT District 4 (Detroit Lakes) is taking the lead on the
project, working closely with Mn/DOT District 3 (Brainerd/Baxter) staff,
because the project is located in both Wadena and Otter Tail counties. Mn/DOT will also work with local and state
governments and agencies, both formally with the Policy/Technical Advisory
Committee (PTAC) and informally, as the need arises.
Mn/DOT has retained SRF Consulting Group, Inc. to complete
preliminary engineering on the alternatives and to complete a Draft and Final
Environmental Impact Statement over the next two years.
Go to Top
Throughout the environmental review process, Mn/DOT will
consider the project’s impact on residences, businesses and agriculture. These impacts will be examined for all the
alternatives, and will be developed in greater detail when a Preferred
Alternative is identified (2008). At that time, property owners will be updated on the project status and Mn/DOT’s
anticipated plans for moving ahead with potential acquisition of any property.
Go to Top
Representatives from the city, county and other local
governments such as townships, have been invited to sit on the Policy/Technical
Advisory Committee (PTAC), a group that meets regularly to review on-going work
on the DEIS and on the development of the proposed roadway alignments. These representatives will update their
respective groups and bring comments from them to the PTAC meetings as the
project proceeds.
The decision on a Preferred Alternative will be made by
Mn/DOT, with the concurrence of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Local governments may offer comments as part
of the public participation process, and Mn/DOT and FHWA will consider these
comments in their decision making.
Go to Top
- Check
this website regularly for updated information.
- Come
to the open houses to learn about the alternatives and the impacts
associated with them—another open house will be held later this year.
- Send
your comments and concerns to the Mn/DOT Project Manager (see below).
Go to Top
For additional information on this project, contact the
Mn/DOT Project Manager:
Project Manager
Lori Vanderhider, PE
1000 Highway 10 West
Detroit Lakes, MN 56501
218-846-7955
email »
Go to Top
|
