8th Ave NE (CSAH 13) Reconstruction

Project Description: 8th Avenue NE between 3rd Street NE and Clear Lake Drive is scheduled to be reconstructed in 2024.  Because this section of 8th Ave NE is a County roadway (County State Aid Highway 13), this will be a joint Waseca County/City of Waseca project.  On April 4th, a Cooperative Agreement detailing cost share percentages and other project terms and conditions was approved by both the City Council and County Board. 

The scope of work for this project will involve complete street reconstruction; including sanitary sewer, water main, storm sewer, and sidewalk and trail improvements.  The County has decided to replace the existing (and failing) concrete street pavement with new 7.5" thick concrete.  For sanitary sewer, redundant mains will be eliminated and the existing vitrified clay pipe (VCP) will be replaced with new PVC pipe.  Additional sanitary sewer improvements include a new wet well and pump rehabilitation for the Lift Station located in the NW corner of 8th Ave NE and 7th St NE.  Existing 4" cast iron water main will be replaced with new 8" PVC main, and the storm sewer along 8th Ave NE will be upgraded to meet current MnDOT State Aid Street standards.  6" PVC subdrain will be installed along both the north and south curb lines for street subgrade drainage and sump pump connections.  Sanitary sewer services will be replaced to near the property line and water services will be replaced to the curb stop.

The proposed sidewalk and trail improvements on this project include the following:

• New 8-foot-wide concrete trail along the south side of 8th Ave NE between 7th St NE and 8th St NE
• New 10-foot-wide off-street bituminous trail along the south side of 8th Ave NE between 8th St NE and the Clear Lake Park parking lot entrance
• New 7-foot-wide concrete sidewalk along the south side of 8th Ave NE between the Clear Lake Park parking lot entrance and Clear Lake Drive
• Replacement of the existing sidewalk along the south side of 8th Ave NE between 3rd St NE and 7th St NE with new 5-foot-wide concrete sidewalk
• The construction of all sidewalk and trail ramps to current ADA standards

Please click on the link below to view pages from the project plans.

8th Ave NE (CSAH 13) Reconstruction Project Plans

Project Status: A Feasibility Report for this project was authorized by City Council on November 1, 2022 and completed by Stantec on January 30, 2023.  A Request for Proposals (RFP) for project design engineering services was issued on March 23, 2023, with a submittal due date of April 10, 2023.  After submittal evaluation and scoring by City and County staff, Bolton & Menk was selected and authorized to provide those services by City Council on April 18, 2023.  Project design began in May 2023 with final plans and specifications completed in January 2024.  On February 6th, City Council authorized advertising this project for bids and it was posted online on February 14th.  On March 14th, a total of seven (7) bids were opened with the lowest bid being $4,896,430 from Wencl Construction Inc.  The project was awarded March 19th and construction began the week of April 22nd.

Public Meetings: An initial Public Informational Meeting was held on Tuesday, May 23rd in the Waseca City Hall Council Chambers (508 South State Street).  At that meeting, residents and property owners were invited to view preliminary layout plans and voice questions or concerns.  A 2nd public meeting was held on Thursday, December 14th (same location) to view 95% plans, and a final public meeting was held on Thursday, April 11th to go over the construction schedule and other details. 

This project will be completed in 3 phases.  Phase 1 consists of all underground utility work and placement of the aggregate road base at, and east of, 7th St NE.  Phase 1 is to be completed by July 3rd.  Due to Lakefest (July 4th) and the Waseca County Free Fair (July 10-14), Phase 2 cannot begin until July 15th and involves all underground utility work and placement of the aggregate road base west of 7th St NE.  Phase 3 will consist of the completion of all pavements and substantial completion of the project by November 1st.  Final restoration and seeding must be completed the following spring by May 30th.  Click on the link below to view additional project phasing details. 

8th Ave NE Project Phasing

Project Access: During construction, the street will be closed to traffic (please click on the map below to view alternate routes).  Access to adjacent properties will be limited, but the contractor will make efforts to maintain direct access whenever feasible.  The contractor will also be responsible for coordinating and maintaining trash collection and mail service.  

8th Ave NE Project Alternate Access Routes

Project Costs & Funding: Total project cost (not including City staff inspection) is estimated at $5,625,000 ($5,328,000 for construction/testing and $297,000 for feasibility report/design).  Below is a breakdown of estimated City and County costs based on the approved Cooperative Agreement with Waseca County:

The City is responsible for 100% of the sidewalk, trail, and utility costs (sanitary sewer, water main, and private storm sewer/sump connections).  Sidewalk and trail will be funded by State Aid or Streets Capital, and the utilities will be funded by their respective utility funds.  City street costs will be funded by a combination of Special Assessments, State Aid, and Streets Capital.  City storm sewer costs will be funded by both Municipal State Aid and the Storm Sewer Utility.

The Feasibility Report for this project was completed by Stantec for $34,096.  Design engineering services will be provided by Bolton & Menk for a not-to-exceed total of $262,660.  City staff will provide construction engineering/inspection services on this project with a portion of the associated costs to be reimbursed by the County.

Assessment Information: It is anticipated that this project will be assessed to adjacent property owners in accordance with the City's current Special Assessment Policy.  Preliminary assessment notices were mailed in December and a public hearing on these improvements was held on January 16, 2024.  The final assessment hearing will likely be scheduled in the summer or fall of 2025.  Please contact Nathan Willey, Director of Engineering, at 507-835-9716 with any questions.