Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Study topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sherburne commissioners accept study process for Highway 10/County Road 11 options; federal NEPA requires multiple alternatives including no-build
Summary
The board voted to accept the Phase I study (Pell) for the Highway 10/County Road 11 corridor that will evaluate bridge and corridor alternatives, while several commissioners voiced opposition to options that would route traffic through Monticello.
Sherburne County commissioners voted to accept a preliminary study that evaluates alternatives for the Highway 10 / County Road 11 corridor and potential new Mississippi River crossing options east and west of Monticello.
Commissioner Felber said he would support moving the study forward but made clear he is "adamantly opposed" to any eventual plan that would route major traffic through Monticello or place traffic on County Road 11. "I am comfortable moving forward with the study, you just want to set expectations from the outset that a couple of options just aren't viable options," Commissioner Hulse summarized in response.
County staff and project consultant representatives told the board that federal environmental law (NEPA) requires a range of alternatives, including a "no-build" alternative and options that might later be screened out. "We're required under federal NEPA law to include the no-build which would be the existing corridor," the consultant said. The speaker explained the study is a preliminary environmental linkage document; the next NEPA tier will be the phase where preferred alternatives are considered, and the process does not allow the study authors to preselect a preferred alternative at this stage.
The board also discussed the realistic timeline for major infrastructure. Consultants said best-case delivery of a new bridge and full project, with all approvals and funding, would likely be measured in decades — commissioners were told it could take at least a decade under optimistic assumptions.
After clarifying that the study process requires alternatives and a no-build option, the board voted to accept item 17, which advances the study process. The motion to accept the item was made and seconded and carried by voice vote.
Ending: Commissioners asked to be on record opposing options that would route higher traffic through Monticello; the county will continue to participate in the NEPA and local preference processes while the federal and state review proceeds.
