Get ready for more construction on Highway 10 next year... this time in Coon Rapids.
"We identified through that study back in 2018 the third lane would benefit the system," said Nick Dobda, Anoka County engineering design supervisor.
Residents turned out at an open house in early November to learn more about a project that will improve capacity and safety on Highway 10. During the last legislative session, $30 million was approved to add a third lane in each direction on Highway 10 between Hanson Boulevard and Round Lake Boulevard. Right now, traffic gets jammed up at Hanson during peak travel periods.
"When those bottlenecks happen, a lot of folks are jumping off the trunk highway and overwhelming our network," Dobda said.
The project is currently transitioning from preliminary to final design.
"There's a lot of intricacy with the design with this third lane," Dobda said. "It kind of weaves, in some portions you're adding to the outside then you're transitioning to the inside. We did that because there was a lot of environmentally sensitive areas adjacent to the project with Coon Creek."
Noise walls are another component of the project. Four of them are proposed but owners of the properties that benefit from the noise walls will get the final say.
"Each wall gets voted on separately depending on which property gets affected so there may be a combination of some walls get built, some don't," Dobda said.
Final design work will continue into 2024 with construction starting next summer or fall. During construction, two lanes of traffic will be maintained in each direction on Highway 10 at all times. However, off ramps at Hanson, Main Street and Round Lake Boulevard will close but not all at the same time.
"The County is interested in this because when we add that third lane, all that traffic trying to get thru to Anoka, Ramsey and into Elk River will stay on the trunk highway where they are," Dobda said. "As a result, our local network will benefit as well."
Construction is expected to be finished in 2025. To learn more, go to the project website here.