The Forest Lake City Council authorized plans and specifications and directed staff to advertise for bids for the Eureka Avenue improvement project, which will reconstruct the street, add pedestrian facilities and shoreline overlooks and include a rectangular rapid flashing beacon at a pedestrian crossing.

Ryan, a city staff member, outlined the project scope and funding partners, noting contributions from Rice Creek, the City of Forest Lake and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for the overlook work. Ryan said the project schedule and ability to award a contract at the council’s Oct. 13 meeting depend on obtaining an easement and utility license agreement from the DNR; staff expected a federal funding review and state-aid review to be completed in October.

City staff stressed that timing to place surcharge material and allow for nine months of consolidation is critical to the overall construction schedule, with heavier construction planned for 2026 and final surface work planned for 2027. A member of the administration noted that Great River Energy’s power line relocation costs had changed from earlier estimates and are currently estimated at $307,000, a figure staff said they are still negotiating with the utility.

Several council members expressed concern about traffic impacts if Eureka and Highway 97 work overlap in 2026, including neighborhood streets taking detour traffic, but the majority supported moving the project forward to test the bidding market and preserve the available funding. The motion to approve plans and authorize advertisement for bids carried by voice vote.

If bids come back higher than estimates, the council said it would revisit funding and schedule decisions before awarding a contract.