St. Cloud Bridge Railing Update on Veterans and University

The Veterans Bridge railings have been completed after a bit of a delay.  That according to St. Cloud Public Services Director Tracy Hodel.  She says the completion of the railings on Veterans Bridge were delayed by a couple of months because the work took longer than expected due to the epoxy coating and refurbishing.  The University Bridge railing project won't be complete until sometime in December.  Hodel indicates snowy and icy conditions could further delay the project as well.

Get our free mobile app

The University Drive Project is complete.  Hodel says the 4-way stop at 13^th Ave SE & University (by Talahi) was removed as current conditions do not warrant a 4-way stop.  A flashing pedestrian crossing system will be installed at this location.  Extra flags were added to notify northbound and southbound motorists and pedestrians that cross traffic does not stop.  Hodel explains there are 3 primary conditions that would warrant a 4-way stop:

1. # of crashes – warrant not met
2. Excessive delay on side streets – the delay of am/pm drop off at the school does not warrant a 4-way stop for the 8,000 motorists that use this road segment, there are 3 accesses to the school that can be used
3. # of pedestrians crossing at location – during design phase, in the fall, pedestrians counts were conducted over a 2-day period – in fall of 2023 only 4 students used the crossing over a 2-day period, many students are using the crossing at 15^th Ave SE & University which is a 4-way stop and they have typically have flaggers to assist.

Hodel says the removal of 4-way stops when not warranted can result in fuel savings for motorists and positive environmental impacts.

Work continues on 3rd Street North near the former O'Hara's building.  Hodel says this is an Excel Energy project.  They are adding a new gas main to better serve the area. Sounds like they will have this year’s work on 3^rd St N complete by end of next week. Work will start up again next spring.

Hodel says annual hydrant inspection took place a few weeks ago and will continue into the winter. The City inspects around 75% of the 3,200 hydrants each year. Flushing will occur as well. She suggests reporting of any leaking hydrants to Public Utilities at 320.255.7286.  Hodel would like residents to help protect your home and your neighbors’ home by removing snow around fire hydrants.  The city is now offering a water meter access dashboard available on the City’s website at My360 | Login (my360-app.com).  You can log in or create a new account at this link.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Tracy Hodel, it is available below.