BACKUS - The Cass County Board passed a resolution Tuesday to seek a Minnesota Department of Transportation variance allowing the county to do less than the state requires to lessen hills and valleys when the county repaves Cass County Highway 77.
On 3,500 feet of Highway 77, approximately between Cobbanwood Way and Balsam Lane, there currently are several hills and valleys at a 10 to 15 mph design. The state transportation department standards call for the county to bring those areas up to a 30 mph design.
The county is asking for the variance to allow using a 20 mph design.
This is because land elevations, buildings and trees on private properties abutting the road do not leave enough easement space to cut down hills or raise valleys, County Engineer David Enblom said.
As a part of the request, Cass County would hold harmless the state for any liability resulting from using the 20 mph standard rather than 30 mph.
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Enblom said Cass has received a variance in the past for areas on Highway 17 and Highway 71 when those roads were rebuilt.
Maple and Loon Lake townships recently asked the county to take over 64th Avenue Southwest where it meets County Road 168. That is one east-west road, which connects Highway 1 to Highway 371.
The townships asked to county to share paving costs.
Enblom requested a traffic count at four locations to determine whether those roads serve as a major collector or whether they actually service mainly local traffic.
The traffic count showed 307 vehicles per day near Highway 371, but the count tapers down west of Loon Lake to 53 vehicles per day near Highway 1. This indicates it currently is more of a local traffic road.
Enblom said he was surprised by the difference in traffic volumes between the two ends of that road.
Commissioner Bob Kangas suggested the traffic counts on County Road 168 and 64th Avenue Southwest likely would increase once it is paved.
Enblom said traffic on it could also increase once the state improves Highway 371 to a four-lane highway between Nisswa and Jenkins in the next two years. Enblom will meet with Loon Lake and Maple township boards to discuss the traffic count results.
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The county engineer presented a draft plan to the county board to list 99.7 miles of county state aid and county roads he plans to schedule for resurfacing and 26 miles of new, currently gravel roads he would pave over the next 10 years-if the board approves levying a half-cent sales tax for transportation beginning in 2016.
The plan shows 23 roads or portions of roads to be resurfaced and nine portions of roads to be newly paved. The newly paved roads are currently receiving chloride treatment over gravel.
All carry more than 100 vehicles per day.
This assumes the county would net $1 million annually from the sales tax after state costs to administer the tax. It also assumes about the same level of state aid, federal aid and $850,000 local property tax levy as the county has collected and spent in the past few years.
By the last three of the 10 years, Enblom said, the county should be able to look at reducing the amount of property tax levy the county would need to keep contributing toward transportation.
