• Routes Identified: The routes were identified as 26th St. on the north, 29th Ave. on the east, Highway 14 on the south, and 24th Ave. on the west. The beltline was intended to connect to Highway 14, and right-of-ways were created as needed.

• East Beltline: Studies were completed.

  • 1993 - Alternatives were identified.

  • 1995 - All alternatives were studied.

  • 1999 - 29th Ave identified as the preferred alternative. (Noise level compliance: 150' right of way 800' spacing with landscaped boulevards and berms.)

  • 2000 - Officially Mapped Right of Way was filed

• West Beltline: Approved for construction in the early 2000s but remains just shy of connecting to 26th St.

• Housing Boom: The need for housing and growth became a priority, leading to subdivisions on the east side of town.

• Preservation Agreement: In early 2004, the county and city signed a joint powers agreement to preserve the 29th Ave. right-of-way, giving both parties the first right to purchase or refuse and providing a six-month contention window.

• Recommendations: August 2004, it was recommended that 44th Ave be used as the east side beltline with a connection to Highway 14. 34th Ave. was to be preserved for an inner corridor, and 29th Ave. was the city’s responsibility.

• 34th Ave Mapped: 5 months after the recommendation to preserve 34th Ave, an officially mapped right of way was created. 

2020 

• Need for Corridor: The city and county identified a need for a corridor closer to Owatonna to handle more traffic from the NE corner of town to the new high school and Federated, and to alleviate downtown traffic as some roads, like Mineral Spring Rd., are approaching capacity. 44th Ave. is not alleviating this traffic.

2022 

• Project Publicized: The project was announced to the public two days before the first open house, where seven alternatives were presented.

• Discussions and Feedback: Over the following year, residents were informed that no mitigation measures were planned and were asked to identify the safety measures they wanted. Any resident suggested mitigations were rejected.

• Initial Discrepancies: The project was submitted to the state as an $8 million endeavor with $3.96 million in FHWA funding, yet plans indicated it is a $20 million project. As of now, this remains unchanged. 

End of 2023 

• Funding Efforts: All city council members and Steele County Commissioners voted to seek additional funding for the trail alongside the ESC. While the commissioners and the chamber of commerce specified the ESC from 29th Ave, the city's letter listed the project as 29th Ave, raising residents' concerns that this misalignment could hinder funding if this is not the correct location. To date, no additional funding has been obtained, as confirmed by the state. 

• Project Restart: The federal government required a restart, noting that they wanted more scrutiny on this project.  A restart will require all alternatives will be objectively studied with defined criteria and data, and additional Federal government signatures along the way.

May 2024

• Milestone Reached: We now have a clear reason for an ESC and objective, measurable criteria to evaluate all alternatives. All options are back on the table and will consider various impacts, including some concerns that have been raised over the past two years. A new project with a new purpose requires updated studies that reflect the current landscape. This approach is similar to the 1995 study, which provided data for a wide range of criteria to determine the best location to further study before design and construction of the ESC. Previously, these studies favored 29th Ave because it offered the necessary protection from dangerous noise pollution by avoiding noise-sensitive areas like neighborhoods. However, since then, Owatonna has expanded until it occupied the same space as the mapped right of way.

  • Purpose and Need: This defines the project and why it is needed.

  • Evaluation Criteria: Provides the requirements each alternative will be studied against to determine a preferred alternative to study further before building.

  • County Announcement: The county mailed out a flyer on May 26, 2024, announcing the project restart and new milestones reached.

  • Commissioners Promises: Commissioners Abbe and Krueger vowed to make resident's safety the top priority in choosing a preferred alternative. 

September 2024

• Preferred Alternative Selection: The memorandum, created by WSB, the Steele County consultant, outlines key findings and recommendations regarding the East Side Corridor (ESC) project. However, it contained skewed or biased data, influencing the outcome in favor of certain conclusions or alternatives rather than offering an objective and balanced assessment of all options. This memorandum has prevented us from fully understanding the true costs of alternatives, namely Alternative 4, that meet the criteria based on WSB's own data. Instead of providing a clear, unbiased evaluation, it has further limited transparency and hindered informed decision-making. 

• Federal Memorandum - engaging with the document displays further comments. 

Decmber 2024

• This proposed Hybrid Alternative combines Alternative 4 on the north half and 29th Ave (Alternative 3) on the south half, with a curve south of Rose Street to avoid residential impacts. Presented to the city and county in December 2024, it balances safety, long-term growth, and cost savings by eliminating the need for a $2.3M noise wall and maintaining a rural design instead of the costly $7.8M urban alternative. While the memorandum biasedly favored Alternatives 3 or 29th Ave, data supports that Alternative 4 meets the project’s purposes and needs, while Alternative 5 (34th Ave) did not. This hybrid is a compromise that addresses both resident and taxpayer needs, minimizing impacts and prioritizing safety and fiscal responsibility. 

Winter 2024/2025

• Environmental Assessment Worksheet: 

  • The Responsible Government Unit (RGU) is advancing further studies on the 29th Avenue classification. According to the federal memorandum: "This ongoing study will build on potential impacts identified in previous studies and explore efforts to avoid, minimize, and mitigate these impacts." 

  • Following the EAW, there will be an open house where residents can submit their questions and comments. Importantly, every comment submitted as part of the EAW process must receive a response.

  • If the EAW results in significant adverse impacts, if mitigation measures cannot reduce impacts to safe levels, or if there is potential for significant cumulative impacts on the human environment, additional studies may be triggered. These studies would include a mandate to evaluate an additional alternative.

  • We look forward to hearing about the avoidance options being considered and how it prioritizes safety, sustainability, and the well-being of our community!

29th Ave.

• Not Preserved: The right-of-way was not preserved, and should it be built adjacent to existing subdivisions, mitigation efforts are limited to noise walls, which are costly.

• Regulatory Concerns: Previous studies indicated that a road of this type needs to be located 800 feet from subdivisions to comply with noise regulations.

• Farmland Impacts: This route would divide several farms.

• Environment: Previous studies indicated that 29th Ave has the most wetlands, including several ponds around the North Country subdivision designed to prevent flooding. Additionally, this route passes through a large floodplain. 

Hybrid Compromise

• Overview: The hybrid option combines Alternative 4 on the northern half and 29th Avenue on the southern half, incorporating a curve south of Rose Street to avoid residential impacts in the north.

• Safety and Growth: According to the Federal Memorandum, Alternatives 2-4 provide the same benefits. The hybrid alternative stands out by prioritizing the needs of current residents while accommodating planned growth, ensuring long-term benefits for both present and future community members.

• Fiscal Responsibility: This option could save $5–10+ million. It eliminates the need for a $2.3 million noise wall to protect residents and replaces the costly $7.8 million urban roadway design with a more economical rural roadway alternative.

• Farmland Concerns: The hybrid route follows parcel lines, reducing the likelihood of bisecting farmland and minimizing disruption to agricultural operations. 

• Additional Benefits:  

  • Maintains the planned railroad crossing and terminates closer to the city limits on the southern side.

  • Adheres to the safety distance proposed in the 1990s to protect existing residents from the detrimental effects of noise, light, and air pollution.

  • And so much more!

The hybrid option balances safety, fiscal responsibility, and community well-being while addressing growth and environmental considerations.

34th Ave.

• Proposed Route: 34th Ave. is 0.55 miles from the proposed 29th Ave. route on 26th St. It follows parcel lines and was recommended for this use in previous studies.

• Safety and Growth: Building 34th Ave. makes sense for safety and planned growth, providing an opportunity for small businesses that could act as a noise buffer for future developments. Although such developments are not expected immediately, they offer future plans and opportunities.

• Existing Road: 34th Ave was once a functioning road that was later tilled under. Today, portions of a minimum maintenance road follow parcel lines, reducing the number of bisections.

• Wetlands: Previous studies showed that 34th Ave has significantly fewer wetland impacts than any other route.

34th Avenue is the most logical choice for the East Side Corridor (ESC), offering a safer solution that aligns with long-term growth and Owatonna’s development plans. It meets noise regulations and protects residents. However, if a closer route is required, we propose a hybrid solution supported by data.

The hybrid option provides many of the same benefits as 34th Avenue but has a greater impact on farmers, which we sought to avoid. Still, the data shows that the hybrid offers immediate benefits where 34th Avenue is less viable. This option prioritizes safety, minimizes impacts, and ensures responsible use of taxpayer dollars while supporting both current and future needs.