Roundabout at County Road 82, Karl Drive gets the green light

ALEXANDRIA — The green light has been given for the roundabout project on County Road 82 at the intersection with Karl Drive in Alexandria.

At a cost of nearly $2.6 million, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners awarded the bid to Central Specialties at their regular meeting Tuesday, July 19.

According to Tim Erickson, Douglas County Public Works director, if the county waited and tried to rebid the project next year, the cost would be much higher.

“This locks it in,” he told the commissioners.

In addition, it was decided to go with asphalt over pavement as a cost-saving measure. For the same price as concrete, the roundabout can be paved with asphalt and then repaved three more times, said Erickson.

The cost to do the concrete would have been close to $3.2 million – nearly $600,000 more than the asphalt.

And even though the bid was awarded this year for the project, it is not expected to be worked on until next year. And it probably won’t be finished until fall of 2023.

The roundabout near the Alexandria YMCA on County Road 82 will be worked on after two more roundabouts are completed. Those roundabouts will be installed at the on and off ramps for Interstate 94 near the Pilot gas station on 34th Avenue West/Highway 27 West.

Douglas County commissioners also approved the following items:

• Memorandum of agreement between Horizon Public Health and Douglas County related to the financial responsibility for Hospice of Douglas County. The memorandum contains language that creates a designated fund balance for Hospice of Douglas County at Horizon Public Health, changes the accounting method from accrual to cash basis and eliminates any requirement for Douglas County to pay Horizon related to Hospice of Douglas County expenditures after calendar year 2025.
• Grant agreement with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, which allocates $10,000 to the county for veteran services.
• Donation of $100 from a veteran’s family to the Douglas County Veterans Services. The money is to be used for veterans in need.
• Donation of $1,000 from the Alexandria VFW Auxiliary to be used for veterans needs.
• Agreement with Pioneer Heritage Conservation Trust to place a sign on Voyager Drive.