Crow Wing County’s county engineer briefed the board on a proposed application for a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) federal grant to fund near-term safety improvements on the US‑371 corridor between the river bridge south of Baxter and County Road 18 in Nisswa.

The county engineer (Tim) said the planning process with MnDOT and partner municipalities produced near-, mid- and long-term concepts including realignment of skewed intersections, offset left-turn pockets, widespread median J-turn treatments, restricted-movement intersections where planned development is anticipated in Nisswa, and portable message boards to warn motorists of hazardous conditions such as blowing and drifting across Gull Lake. He described the near-term package of low- to moderate-cost safety measures that could be bundled into a $20–$25 million RAISE request.

MnDOT initially considered being the applicant but asked Crow Wing County to lead the application so the project could be positioned strategically; the county engineer said that approach follows a successful precedent on a past interchange project. He explained the application may qualify for 100% federal funding for MnDOT’s share because a portion of the project area was identified as an "area of persistent poverty" in the 2020 census, which can eliminate the local match requirement. The county engineer said most proposed improvements would fall within MnDOT right-of-way and that MnDOT would cover the required local match for those elements; any county or city exposure would primarily be for short connecting roads or side-road work.

The presentation was information-only. The county engineer said he will return at the Jan. 7 meeting with a formal request for board action and that the application process will include additional public outreach and municipal consent steps if the county is awarded funds. Commissioners asked for assurance that Baxter and Nisswa officials understand potential local exposures; the engineer said staff has contacted municipal partners and will seek letters of support.

Why it matters: the grant, if awarded, would fund near-term corridor changes intended to reduce fatal and serious crashes on a high-risk state-trunk highway segment, and could accelerate safety work otherwise limited by routine funding cycles.

Ending: The county engineer will return with a formal board action item and supporting documents for consideration in early January.