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Aitkin County holds public hearing on redesignating county and state‑aid road mileage
Summary
Engineers presented a package of road‑designation swaps intended to reassign mileage so key paving projects (including County Road 51 and a Kimberly connector) can access county state‑aid dollars sooner; board will return with formal action after staff follow-up and traffic counts.
County highway staff presented a package of 13 roadway segments under a plan to swap county‑maintained and county state‑aid highway mileage. The swaps—led by two priority projects (a continuous connector through the Kimberly area and improvements to County Road 51 on Mille Lacs Lake’s north side)—are intended to let higher‑cost paving projects access state aid funding earlier and reduce tax burdens on local property owners.
County Engineer John Welly said the core package (segments 1–7) was designed to equalize mileage so the board may change designations by county resolution rather than seeking additional state‑aid miles, which can be a lengthier process. Welly said reclassifying County Road 51 as a county state‑aid highway would make about $4.5 million of state aid available to accelerate a project currently estimated at approximately $6 million to pave a gravel route.
Members of the public and townships spoke during the hearing asking for traffic counts and clarification whether nearby township roads could be considered; John Welly said the current package affects roads the county already maintains and that township‑led jurisdictional changes were outside this scope. Commissioners asked staff to follow up with traffic data and return with formal action.
No final votes were taken; staff will bring refined proposals and data to a future board meeting.
