‘Save The Scenic Byway’ group to hold public forum ahead of Highway 34 construction project

Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – With construction on the Highway 34 project between Detroit Lakes and Osage scheduled to begin next week, the ‘Save the Scenic Byway’ group is planning a meeting at MState in Detroit Lakes on Tuesday, January 24th at 7:00 to show the community how MnDot’s logging, in conjunction with the resurfacing project, will impact the Scenic Byway. 

Construction on the $13 million project begins on Monday, and will see the removal of trees within 65 feet of the centerline on both sides of the road. MnDot says that tree removals will vary throughout the corridor. In some areas, there may be 5-10 feet of trees that are removed, in other areas, no trees will need to be removed. There will also be about seven miles of shade tree reduction on the south side of the highway between Snellman and Osage.

The project is will see construction on 21 miles of highway in each direction. The Lakes Scenic Byway between Detroit Lakes and Walker turning north on Highway 71 to Itasca State Park in the middle, is 171 miles long. MnDot says selective logging equates to less than 12% of project lane miles, and less than 4% of the scenic byway lane miles.

The highway project will add bridge and drainage improvements, bring smoother, longer-lasting pavement surfaces and improve highway safety and reduce chloride use during the winter months.