Road work underway across region

Like clockwork every summer, Minnesota cities rush to repair and improve their roads– Orono, Long Lake, and Maple Plain are no exception.

Orono is busy with its 2024 Street Improvements Project, which included milling, reclaiming, and paving Orchard Park Road, Willow Drive between Fox Street and Brown Road, Partenwood Road, and Partenwood Lane.

Per Orono’s website, contractors JMH Asphalt Corp finished tolerancing the week of July 8 before paving each of the roads. Most construction is expected to be completed by August 25. As of July 12, all of the roads have their base course of asphalt. Willow Drive and Orchard Park Road are scheduled to receive wear courses of asphalt the week of July 15, weather permitting.

In addition to the continued street improvements, Orono city council recently accepted a quote from Global Specialty Contractors, Inc. to replace damaged guardrails within the city.

On the heels of the May 13 council work session, the council also directed staff to “move forward with preliminary planning for the 2025 Street maintenance project.” Bolton & Menk will be the engineering consultant. An award for construction will occur next spring when the project goes out for bid with the following roads/sections of roads being considered for improvements:

• Kelly Avenue - full reconstruction and watermain replacement.

• Lydiard Avenue and Lydiard Circle - mill, overlay, and stormwater improvement.

• Carmen Road - mill, overlay, and curb improvements.

• Ferndale Road West - pavement reclaim and culvert replacement.

• Dahl Road - pavement reclaim and curb improvements.

• Wildhurst Trail - mill and overlay.

These proposals are not final and are subject to change. Dahl Road and Wildhurst Trail are alternates.

An additional street, Brown Road, is part of Orono 2025 plan but will be funded from a different source. Being that it is a part of Minnesota’s Municipal State-Aid Street system. Orono will fund a smaller portion of the improvements, with Bolton & Menk still the engineering consultant.

After wet weather conditions delayed construction, Maple Plain’s contractors, Kuechle, officially began construction by removing curbs from Independence Street on July 3. Work on other streets will follow, with updates provided by their engineering consultant, Bolton & Menk, on Maple Plain’s city website.