By TCN Staff | on July 13, 2022

Paved sidewalks are being installed at the intersection of Highways 15 and 55 in Kimball, and a new sidewalk extended on one side of Main Street north to that intersection, and south of the railroad tracks to Willow Creek Park. More photos can be found on page 12. Staff photos by George Matua.

The current drainage point for Kimball streets (the pile of stones at far left), but the pipe that leads storm water to the CRWD holding pond is crumbling, and blocked by dirt and debris. This will need to be addressed by whichever government entity is responsible for it (and that is not MnDOT).

Many of the new sidewalks in downtown Kimball have been poured. Some will need to be torn up and re-poured this week. Main Street through Kimball is now anticipated to open to traffic around Friday, Aug. 5. Staff photos by George Matua.

The good news is that things are looking good on Main Street in Kimball these days. No more giant holes in the road, no big piles of dirt. The road is closed in, waiting for a final coat of bituminous. Sidewalks, and some curb and gutter have been poured. It looks more like a new Main Street than a construction project today.

The bad news: there will be delays before it can be completed. The latest estimate, from Mike Klasen, MnDOT’s project director, is that Main Street/Highway 15 through downtown Kimball will reopen around Friday, Aug 5.

The biggest delay right now is the specialized tunnel borer equipment and crew needed to drill under the railroad for the storm sewer casing pipe. They have been scheduled and canceled twice already, and they are now scheduled for the week of July 18, their next availability.

There won’t be much activity – or progress, at least – this week. If anything, some of the new sidewalks already poured will have to be torn up and re-poured after an ADA inspection found some to be out of compliance. This is a normal occurrence on every job, Klasen says.

Why tear up perfectly good sidewalks? Because the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements are very stringent. Sidewalks were widened to accommodate the ADA, making it easier for someone in a wheelchair, for instance, to pass easily without having to dodge electric poles or out-swinging doors. Sidewalk corners at street crossings are the picky point, it seems. Because the entire downtown area is built on a downward slope, care must be taken about all the corner pedestrian crossings. Again, using a wheelchair as an example, there must be a flat, non-sloping area large enough to safely wait to cross the street (without risk of being pulled down the hill or, worse, into traffic). Again, Klassen says this is normal at every MnDOT job.

The road will be reopened to traffic before everything is completed, too. Because of supply-chain issues, the ornamental street lights cannot be installed until later in August. This can be accomplished while the road is open.

Another issue likely will not be resolved before the road is reopened: the storm sewer drainage. The plans called for the new city storm sewers to drain into the existing drainage pipe installed by Clearwater River Watershed District some years ago; it leads to a holding pond in Willow Creek Park before emptying into the creek, thus alleviating the problems of pollutants and overheated water going into the creek. Unfortunately, the CRWD plastic pipe is crumbling, and currently blocked. MnDOT does not have right of way for that side of the street so they cannot be the ones to repair the pipe. For now, storm water is being diverted to the west side of Highway 15, but this is temporary until the CRWD issue can be resolved. This, too, can be remedied at any time after the road reopens to the public, Klasen says. Once the pipe is repaired or replaced, MnDOT can direct the flow anywhere, he adds.

This means three more weeks of Main Street being closed. Three more weeks of hardship on local businesses – please do what you can to patronize them. And three more weeks of traffic being detoured around Kimball. As interminable as this project may feel right now, however, it is on schedule to be completed in a shorter timeframe than anticipated.

The end result, for which we are sacrificing, will be a better and safer downtown, without the “rivers” flowing downhill after every rain storm, sidewalks that are safe for all to use, and modern street lighting. There also will be sidewalks on the north side of the 55/15 intersection, which should make being a pedestrian safer.

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