With near-record amounts of snow slamming the Brainerd lakes area this winter, city, county and state snowplow crews have more than enough work on their hands.
With the accumulating snow comes mounting concerns about not only roadway conditions, but the accessibility of pedestrian walkways as well. One spot at the forefront of the conversation is Brainerd's Washington Street Bridge near Dairy Queen.
City engineer Paul Sandy said city staff members get calls about the area just about every time it snows. But because that bridge is owned by the state of Minnesota, he forwards callers on to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
This winter's excessive amount of snow, though, makes it difficult for MnDOT plow crews to keep up.
"This year is unusual," Todd Sangren, maintenance superintendent for MnDOT District 3A, said in a phone interview Thursday, Feb. 21. "The month of February, we've either been in snow and ice or post-storm cleanup 15 of the 20 days.
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"Typically, our main priority is to make sure the roads are safe. So then once the roads are safe, then we move toward what we call post-storm cleanup."
Post-storm cleanup includes sidewalks, like the one on the Washington Street bridge.
"But with all the snow, we can't keep up right now," Sangren said, noting his crews worked two eight-hour shifts Thursday after Wednesday night's snowfall. "But unfortunately with all the snow, you can't keep up."
After Wednesday's snow, MnDOT cleared the Washington bridge's sidewalk in the early hours of Friday morning, according to Sangren.
"People wonder why we're not out there on a beautiful day like day," Sangren said Thursday, "but actually we're up north on (Highway) 371 doing the crossovers where the big piles of snow are. ... Depending on the time of day, we move to where we impact traffic the least."
MnDOT District 3A's coverage area ranges from Little Falls to Remer and Wadena to Aitkin. About a dozen workers were out with plows and snowblowers for post-storm clean up Thursday.
"We're trying our best with the resources we have to stay ahead of it," Sangren said, "but unfortunately Mother Nature is not letting up."
If the Washington Street bridge isn't cleared, Sandy advised pedestrians to use the nearby bridge on Laurel Street
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"It's much safer because it's wider, and we do remove snow on it right away," Sandy said.
While Laurel Street is available, Brainerd City Council member Dave Badeaux wants to find a solution for Washington Street.
As the council liaison to the city's walkable bikeable committee, Badeaux said he recently became more aware of pedestrian facilities in the city, particularly the Washington Street Bridge.
"I kind of have a more heightened sense of that stuff as I'm looking around town, and that has become a large concern of mine," Badeaux said.
The committee hasn't discussed the issue yet this year, but Badeaux said he believes it has come up in past years.
"We're definitely going to need to look at some kind of either alternative, maybe perhaps an underpass underneath the bridge or something that we can help to get people across that area," he said. "I'm hopeful that we can come up with some kind of a solution."
