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City engineer outlines multi-year road, trail and utility projects including Highway 97 full closure and North Shore lead-line work
Summary
City engineer Ryan Goodman detailed several major projects affecting Forest Lake over the next several years: Stage 2 of Highway 97 (full closure, a Fenway roundabout and new trail connections), County Road 50 corridor study, the Forest Road realignment tied to a $5 million award, Highway 8 reconstruction with regional trail links, ongoing wetland delineation work and a concentrated lead-service-line replacement effort on North Shore Drive.
City engineer Ryan Goodman told the EDA that Forest Lake will see a series of multi-year transportation, trail and utility projects that will affect travel patterns and neighborhood access over the next several years.
Goodman outlined Stage 2 of Highway 97, which is expected to be a full closure from Falcon to Forest Road and will include construction of a roundabout at Fenway and Highway 97 and continuation of a trail on the south side of 97 that will connect into the Hardwick Creek Trail. He said project coordination meetings with the contractor and MnDOT are expected in the coming weeks, and construction timing is being refined.
The county-led County Road 50 corridor study will extend to Manning Avenue and include access-management recommendations; the county anticipates completing that study around 2027. Goodman said the Forest Road realignment project is moving forward in part because the county secured a $5,000,000 award to reduce local share, and that major construction is tentatively scheduled for 2028. He also said Highway 8 will be reconstructed in phases with trail connections and is planned as a multiyear project.
On local streets, Goodman said the city is planning resurfacing and ADA ramp upgrades this year and is awaiting a federal-level DNR easement for Eureka Avenue; the easement delay means substantive work may be deferred to 2027. He noted about 75% of the city's lead service lines are in North Shore Drive and that the capital-improvement plan budgets work and public engagement for replacement and sewer capacity upgrades.
Commissioners asked about staging and access at Fenway and other intersections; Goodman said the city is pushing to complete the Falcon-to-Fenway segment quickly so diverted traffic does not clog neighborhoods. He cautioned that the city will be unusually busy with development and coordination over the next few years.
The engineer's presentation concluded without formal action; staff will continue coordination with county and state partners and return with schedule updates as details are finalized.
