The City of Crookston has begun its street improvement projects for the year earlier this week. Three roads in Crookston that have undergone construction include-
- North Broadway (6th Street to Fisher Ave)
- Houston Avenue (Hunter Street to South Ash Street)
- 3rd Avenue Southwest (Bruce Street to Old Trunk Highway 75)
Houston Avenue will be a complete overhaul. “For the city portion, it’s going to revolve around the Houston Avenue Area, that’s going to be a reconstruct,” Public Works Director Chuck Getsman. “I believe last year they had their utilities done and maybe let the soil and everything settle before we start paving it.”
The updated road will be more comprehensive than the original layout. The city will also update the area’s crosswalks to ensure they comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Last week, the city closed the intersection where Houston Avenue turns into Hunter Avenue; due to the closure, Crookston residents may need to find alternative routes.
3rd Avenue Southwest and North Broadway will get a mill and overlay. This street maintenance technique removes the top layer of asphalt and replaces it with a new layer. The North Broadway project will also include updates to the sidewalk on the west side.
Getsman gave his final comments regarding the current street improvements and believes the construction has gone to plan thus far. “So far, everything is going really smooth (knock on wood), but we ran into a couple of hiccups with the rain,” said Getsman. “There was kind of a sloppy mess made with the roads ripped up. We do see a little bit more rain in the forecast, so that’s just going to slow us down a little bit, but it’s just a couple of days, and we’ll get back to it.”
