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Dellwood council weighs taking control of Hwy 244, asks MnDOT to define right-of-way
Summary
The Dellwood City Council discussed whether to accept a turnback of Hwy 244 from MnDOT, with engineers estimating a low-cost option would leave about $6.5 million for a trail design. The council asked the city attorney to request MnDOT define the right-of-way and will seek resident feedback before proceeding.
The Dellwood City Council on June 9 discussed whether the city should accept a turnback of Highway 244 from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and what that would mean for local design and future projects. Councilmember Brady Ramsay summarized engineering options presented previously and said a low-cost approach would leave roughly $6.5 million that could be used to design a trail.
Councilmember Greg Boosalis noted recent changes to bonding language give the city greater latitude over where a trail could be placed, but that any trail must reach Meadow Street. City Attorney Joel Holstad warned the council that MnDOT has not yet defined the roadway’s right-of-way, calling that lack of ROW definition “a significant issue.” City Engineer Cara Geheren confirmed the cost estimates discussed at the prior meeting included right-of-way acquisition costs but reiterated MnDOT must define the ROW.
Mayor Mike McGill said the city should solicit resident feedback and possibly bring the matter to the Planning Commission. “If the city takes the road, we’d be in control of design, speed, etc.,” McGill said. Ramsay added a practical benefit: accepting the turnback could leave a significant amount of funding available for future road projects.
The council reached consensus that City Attorney Joel Holstad will draft a letter to MnDOT outlining the city’s reasons for considering the turnback and requesting a formal definition of the ROW. Mayor McGill said he would draft a separate letter to residents and that a neighborhood meeting would be scheduled after resident outreach.
No formal motion to accept the road was made at the June 9 meeting; the council’s action was to request further information from MnDOT and to conduct public outreach before any decision.
