Becker County Approves $2.26 Million Highland Drive Construction Project

Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – Becker County commissioners are moving forward with the pavement replacement project on Highland Drive in Detroit Lakes, despite higher construction costs than anticipated. Highland Drive connects Highway 10 and Highway 34.

At the County Board Meeting on Tuesday, August 2nd, commissioners awarded the bid to Sellin Brothers Inc of Hawley with an approved bid of $2.26 million dollars. Mark Sand and Gravel of Fergus Falls was the second place bid at $2.45 million.

The overall price of the project is about $460,000 higher than the original engineer’s estimate of $1.8 million back in November.

The construction project will turn Highland Drive into a 10-ton road with 12-foot driving lands and six-foot shoulders that will be better suited to handle the traffic of the Industrial Park. As of right now, Highland Drive is only a five-ton road. The changes on Highland Drive will match the improvements to Randolph Road, which is a service road between Highland Drive and Highway 10. Randolph Road was recently reconstructed and is now a 10-ton road.

Becker County will pay up to $700,000 towards the overall project. Detroit Township received a $1.25 million dollar grant for the project. The County and the City of Detroit Lakes will split the remaining cost 60/40, with the paying the remaining $600,000.

Construction will start yet this summer, with pavement grinding and removal expected to be finished around November 1st. The whole project should be finished by June 1, 2023.