Sauk Rapids Finalizes '3 Up the Hill' Project with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

SAUK RAPIDS -- A $12 million project is finished in Sauk Rapids.

Leaders from Benton County, Sauk Rapids and WSB & Associates held a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday afternoon outside the Sauk Rapids Government Center to congratulate everyone involved with the County Road 3, "3 Up the Hill" project.

Nearly three years ago, the city, county and WSB teamed up to redesign Benton County Road 3 from 2nd Street North to 3rd Avenue North up to Highway 10 in Sauk Rapids.

Second Street North is now a four-lane road with a center median, before it was a two lane roadway. Two roundabouts have also been put in, one at Summit Avenue and one at 6th Avenue North. A traffic light has also been put in at the intersection of Stearns Drive and 2nd Street North.

Ron Bray is the Vice President at WSB & Associates and also the project manager for the "3 Up the Hill" project. He says one of the major challenges developers faced had to do with right of way.

"The project was actually quite complicated with right of way. Unfortunately, it was only a 66 foot wide corridor, which is very narrow, with houses close to the right of way. With that there was 19 re-locations of homes."

All the homes were re-located by federal and state standards to make room for a 110 foot corridor. Bray says adding the roundabouts and four lane roadway will help Sauk Rapids grow.