Busy overpass will close near site of new bridge in Oak Park Heights

One of the busiest highway overpasses in Washington County will close in early August for construction of approach highways to the new St. Croix River bridge in Oak Park Heights.

Residents and business owners may attend a public meeting about the upcoming Beach Road overpass closure over Hwy. 36. The meeting will occur Monday from 5:30-7 p.m. at Oak Park Heights City Hall, 14168 Oak Park Blvd. N.

Jon Chiglo, St. Croix Crossing project manager, will talk about the closure at 5:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Project staff also will be available to answer questions.

The overpass will close in early August, allowing crews to construct a new one.

Permanent closures will occur at the entrance ramp from Beach Road to westbound Hwy. 36 and the exit ramp from eastbound Hwy. 36 to Beach Road.

How to get to and from Hwy. 95 after the Beach Road overpass closes:

• Access to southbound Hwy. 95 will be available from eastbound Hwy. 36 by going south on Hwy. 5 and then east on County Road 14.

New Hwy. 95 ramps to and from Hwy. 36 will open at the end of September. The new Beach Road bridge will open in late 2013.

The Minnesota approach project will be completed by fall 2014, and the new bridge will open in late 2016, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said.

The Washington County Board has approved the sale of tax forfeited land in Oak Park Heights to the Transportation Department for Hwy. 36 construction.

The land was needed for construction of the new St. Croix River bridge, and the realignment of Beach Road North and Lookout Trail North. The Transportation Department will pay $42,000 for the property.

Ann McLellan of Stillwater will join the Washington County Minnesota Extension Committee. The County Board made the appointment June 18. She will serve an unexpired term until the end of the year.

The Extension Committee works with the County Board through the county's Department of Public Health and Environment to meet its goals.

Washington County will submit several potential road projects to the Minnesota Department of Transportation for funding in 2015. Proposals include:

• Construction of a single-lane roundabout at County Road 15 (Manning Trail N.) and Hwy. 97 in Scandia.

• Construction of right-turn lanes and a traffic signal at Hwy. 5/County Road 17 (Lake Elmo Avenue N.) in Lake Elmo.

• Construction of a center left-turn lane and right-turn lane at Hwy. 61/50th Street in Forest Lake.

If any of these projects are selected, Transportation Department funds would be available after July 1, 2014, the county said.

The Suicide Prevention Collaborative (SPC) is conducting its third annual fundraiser 5k run/walk July 27 at Hamlet Park, 8833 Hamlet Road S., Cottage Grove.

Preregistration is encouraged. Race day registration begins at 8 a.m., and the walk starts at 9 a.m., rain or shine.

Fees for the walk are $20 for adults and $15 for ages 5-17; those 4 and younger are free. Team discounts are available. T-shirts, refreshments and race bags are included with the fees. There will be live music by Viewpoint and prizes for top finishers. Walkers and runners of all abilities are welcome.

SPC is a community-based group dedicated to preventing teen suicide in the eastern Twin Cities metro area through education, awareness, collaboration and advocacy. SPC is committed to increasing awareness about depression and other mental illnesses, the warning signs of suicide and the need for professional treatment.

For information and preregistration, see www.suicide preventioncollaborativemn.org; click on news and events.

Midwest Special Services Inc., a provider of services for adults with disabilities, will open its new Oakdale Center on Monday. It will be the sixth and newest Midwest Special Services center in Minnesota, and will offer day training and habilitation programs.

"This is our first center in Washington County, and we couldn't be more excited to offer our services to the east metro community," said Lyth Hartz, company president.

Midwest Special Services has six locations in the Twin Cities metro area, serving more than 600 adults who are living with significant disabilities.

For more information, visit www.mwsservices.org, check out the Midwest Special Services Facebook page or follow the company on Twitter, @MWSservices.

Jessup led Woodbury in delivering infrastructure improvements needed to accommodate growth in Washington County's largest city. He has been involved in several county-related projects, including construction of Radio Drive, Woodbury Drive, Valley Creek Road and Century Avenue, new interchanges at Lake Road and Tamarack Road, and reconstruction of the Valley Creek interchange.

Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH) will do design work on a new alignment for County Road 21 (Stagecoach Trail) and County Road 28 (56th Street/Pickett Avenue) in Bayport and Oak Park Heights.

The Washington County Board approved the $223,000 contract amendment with the firm June 18.

SEH did preliminary design and environmental services for the project in the past, so a contract was in place.

The project was planned for construction in 1998 in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Transportation's new St. Croix River bridge. The county project was delayed because of the delay to the river crossing project.