Council approves plans, authorizes bids to realign Eleventh Avenue NW and add trail

The Stewartville City Council approved plans and authorized staff to advertise for bids on the 2025 capital improvement project to realign Eleventh Avenue Northwest, add stormwater features and a 10-foot multiuse trail.

City Engineer Jenna presented the plans, saying the project would realign Eleventh Avenue at Tenth Street NW to remove an offset at the intersection and upgrade a township gravel roadway to an urban street serving the Barricade Estates neighborhood. Jenna said, “The roadway will be a minimum width of 26 feet,” and described work to extend an existing double-box culvert to carry both the roadway and the trail crossing and to add a storm sewer collection system to meet stormwater requirements.

The nut graf: Council members and staff said the project is intended to improve traffic safety at the Tenth Street intersection, provide pedestrian and bicycle connectivity to Bear Cave Park and prepare space for a potential future trailhead and parking adjustments.

Details in the plan include elimination of one existing parking-lot entrance because of its proximity to the intersection and creation of a new parking-lot entrance from the new Eleventh Avenue alignment. A 10-foot multiuse trail will be built on the east side of the new alignment to connect the existing trail at Bear Cave Park to the adjoining residential area. The plan also includes two stormwater ponds and grading to reserve a future trailhead location. City staff included an alternate bid item to pave the remainder of Eleventh Avenue NW south from the project endpoint; the alternate would be evaluated with costs assigned to the benefiting property owners if accepted.

Council members asked about roadway widths and alignment. Jenna said the north side of the intersection will be wider — about 42 to 44 feet through the intersection with added turn lanes — while the section south of Tenth Street is being held to a 26-foot minimum to avoid extending the pavement unnecessarily and to reduce impacts in wetlands and on existing roadbed. The record shows staff had cleared some trees at the earlier proposed alignment to install water main and sanitary sewer extensions for Barricade Estates; the final alignment uses the cleared water-main corridor for the new street.

Council approved a motion to adopt the plans and specs and advertise for bids; the motion passed on a voice vote with no roll-call tally recorded. Bids were set to open on March 4, 2025.

The council presentation and approval involved City Engineer Jenna, City Administrator Schimmel, Public Works Director Sean Hale and civil technician Scott; the plan drawings and specifications were prepared by SEH (city engineer/consultant) under the staff direction noted in the packet. The approval authorizes advertisement for bids only; it does not approve construction contracts or any change orders that may follow the bidding process.

Next steps: staff will advertise, accept bids on March 4, 2025, and return recommended contract awards to the council for formal contract approval and any funding actions.