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A conceptual re-design for Highway 8 through Lindstrom was supported by the city council at the regular meeting December 16.

Council heard from Lindstrom City Engineer John Powell that even MnDOT “...has taken no exception” to this design concept, which Powell described as “encouraging.”

The layout is the result of many meetings bringing together business persons, traffic engineers, elected officials and citizens at-large.

The plan, said Powell, preserves on-street parking where possible, but the state has a goal of managing and reducing access points to state highways and those also had to be addressed when dealing with a state highway.

Powell suggested that the city might want to move forward more aggressively on a project to the east end of town; ahead of the timeframe that the highway project would ordinarily require.

A below-grade crossing is proposed for the Chisago Lakes Middle School area...which Powell said would enter below the highway at a point just west of the school and bisect under Hwy. 8 diagonally, to an opening near Fairview Cemetery somewhere. Council consensus was that Lindstrom should support making this a priority item, but three of the council members are leaving the council in 2005.

The next step will be to schedule public open house forums where people can view the plans and make observations and discuss the concept with officials.

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