Detroit Lakes City Council Abandons Plan to Connect Broadway Ave. and Terry Street

Katie Biggar of Detroit Lakes speaks to the Detroit Lake City Council, Sept. 13, 2022

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – Detroit Lakes residents living along Broadway Ave. showed up in mass to the Detroit Lakes City Council meeting on Tuesday asking the city to reconsider a plan to connect Terry Street to Broadway.

The city had floated the idea of connecting Broadway Avenue, which currently ends in a cul-de-sac, to Terry Street. This would potentially link Terry Street to the Highway 34 frontage road near M State and provide an alternative route to avoid turning onto Richwood Road, a main thoroughfare in the area.

“We have a quiet street, its used by the people that live there and that’s what the neighborhood is for. Neighborhoods are not meant to be shortcuts through town, you opening up Broadway will create the issues,” said Katie Biggar, who lives on Broadway Ave.

At least 37 residents in the neighborhood signed a petition against the idea that was delivered to the city on Tuesday, said Sheila Lehrke a spokesperson for the residents. “We are requesting that the Detroit Lakes council reject connecting Broadway Ave. to Terry Street and removing the cul-de-sac. The main reason for this is there are a number of existing options to access Terry Street that were established to accommodate heavy traffic and protect neighborhood safety.”

Ultimately, the council voted to abolish the idea with only Dan Josephson voting against it.