Work begins to extend Hwy. 610 into Maple Grove

Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune

Work crews from Rivard Contractors started clearing trees near Jefferson Highway as work began Tuesday on the $48 million extension of Hwy. 610 from Hwy. 169 in Brooklyn Park to Country Road 81 in Maple Grove. The work is scheduled to be done by the end of 2011.

The leg will reach County Road 81 by the end of 2011. There's no money yet to connect it to I-94.

By JIM ADAMS, Star Tribune

Last update: October 28, 2009 - 8:54 AM

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Trees began falling like toothpicks Tuesday for a long-awaited $48 million leg of Hwy. 610 into Maple Grove.

The 2.5-mile leg will extend the four-lane 610 west from Hwy. 169 in Brooklyn Park to County Road 81 in Maple Grove. Funding is still being sought for a final 2.6-mile stretch that would connect 610 to Interstate Hwy. 94, also in Maple Grove.

The new extension, including several interchanges and bridges, is the state's largest highway project funded by federal stimulus money and will create about 200 jobs, federal officials said last month.

On a sunny, frosty Tuesday morning, a 42-inch-diameter circular saw, mounted on an eight-wheel vehicle, began work on the project, clearing corridor trees as it moved west from Jefferson Highway. The saw sliced through foot-wide trunks in seconds, and an attached claw hoisted 30-foot trees in the air and dumped them in piles. Then a skidder with another claw dragged them to a chipper, which spewed a stream of ash, evergreen and cottonwood chips into a big semi-trailer truck.

The big saw, called a hydro ax, was operated by Jeff McClellan of Rivard Contractors. He said the Rivard crew will clear about 220 trees, from 6 inches to 4 feet in diameter, out of the grassy 2.5-mile corridor in two days. Grading and road building by C.S. McCrossen Co. will follow. The work is scheduled to be done by the end of 2011.

Local officials have said the extension is a crucial link that will provide easy access for new businesses and jobs. It will also improve safety and relieve congestion resulting from motorists driving through local streets between the end of 610 and I-94, they said.

Developer at the ready

One developer has picked up the pace in seeking approval for the mixed-used Gateway project in Brooklyn Park. The 91-acre site sits in the southwest corner of Hwy. 169 and 610.

"When we heard of the [extension stimulus funding] possibility in February, we got excited," said Gary Lally, senior vice president of development for Hoyt Properties. Lally said the company's city-approved concept calls for senior housing and office buildings, a motel, restaurant and a few retail shops.

Hoyt has finished traffic and environmental studies and, in November, will apply to have property rezoned from residential to commercial. If the request is approved, Hoyt expects to begin installing roads and utility lines in the spring, Lally said.

The company wants "to be ready for development when the market is right," he said. "It's a large piece of property that has tremendous visibility. We hope someday it will be a nice place for some corporations to call home."

Jim Adams • 612-673-7658

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