Hill City readies for new roundabout

KAT ROBB
kat.robb@apgecm.com

Tom’s Backhoe Service was approved as the contractor for Hill City’s force main reroute project at the Hill City City Council
meeting March 11. Bolton & Menk Project Engineer Andrew Beadell recommended the low bid of $575,274 from Tom’s.
The force main was found in two locations on the west side of the intersection of Hwy. 169 and 200. It is potentially in the Minnesota
Department of Transportation’s right of way for roundabout construction. MnDOT’s start date for the project is set for June 2025.
The city has been approved for reimbursement for this project from a grant. The city is working through an acquisition of
the northerly part of the Hannay parcel. The city’s new wastewater pond access road and new force main will be located there.
Beadell said Bolton & Menk has started working on a certificate of survey for the parcel and has been working with the property
owner. The council approved a bid of $74,700 from Sub-Surface Inc. for the airport runway culvert relining project at the Quadna Mountain Airport. The project is 95% grant
funded leaving the city’s responsibility at $4,915. Beadell said the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s low bid for the roundabout construction
project came from Northland Construction. “Based on the low bid, the city’s cost actually went down,” he said. This project will be constructed in stages.
Hwy. 169 will be open to traffic at all times throughout construction, and construction on Hwy. 200 will also be staged, but a short detour will be required to
complete the work. For updates on the roundabout project, go to https://talk.dot.state.mn.us/hwys-169-200-hill-city-roundabout.