Vine Street Parking Lot Progress

Wencl has completed all removals, and final graded the parking lot.  Construction staking for interior curb and light poles was completed this week, making way for forms to be set and concrete to be poured next week.  Nearly all concrete is expected to be completed late next week and into the following, which will allow for bituminous paving to start the week of November 4th.  Rain is expected next week which can potentially affect timelines.  

As a reminder, the parking lot will remain closed throughout the duration of the project, please refer to the Downtown Public Parking Map (PDF) or scan the QR code for alternate parking options.

Updates relating to timelines, project progression and potential traffic disruptions will posted on owatonna.gov and the Owatonna Public Works Facebook page.

EAST SIDE CORRIDOR PREFERRED ALIGNMENT SELECTED

Owatonna, Minn.— Steele County and City of Owatonna officials announce that the proposed East Side Corridor project has achieved a milestone in the preparation of the environmental documents necessary to plan and construct the new roadway.  The Federal Highway Administration has concurred that Alternative 3, also known as 29th Avenue Corridor, is the preferred alternative.  This concurrence reaffirms the previous determination made in 2023 that Alternative 3 is the preferred corridor. 

With the identification of the preferred corridor, the County can move forward in preparing the project’s federal and state environmental documents which will include a series of reports describing the impact of the East Side Corridor project on people and the environment. The environmental document will study impacts on traffic, cultural resources, noise, and wetlands within the designated corridor. It will also outline the efforts required to avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts to these resources. These reports and the final environmental documents are expected to be completed in 2025 and will then be made available for public comment.   

The East Side Corridor project proposes to build a north-south roadway on the east side of Owatonna from near the intersection of Bixby Road and 18th Street SE to Kenyon Road with an extension of 26th Street NE.  The project is scheduled to begin construction in 2026.

For more information, see the recent project newsletter and the full concurrence document detailing how the preferred alignment was chosen.  These documents are available on the project webpage at: www.eastsidecorridor.com.

For more information contact:

Paul Sponholz

507.444.7670

paul.sponholz@steelecountymn.gov

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Only Rain Down the Storm Drain!

Leaf Raking Reminder

The City of Owatonna would like to remind residents that no person shall intentionally dispose of leaves, dirt, or other landscape debris into a street, road, alley, catch basin, culvert, curb, gutter, inlet, ditch, natural watercourse, flood control channel, canal, storm drain, and any other fabricated or natural conveyance. Doing so not only violates City Ordinance 52.28, which is punishable by fine, but contributes to excessive costs related to increased phosphorous in our waterways and added wear on our street sweepers. 

Are you wondering what to do with all these leaves? Leaves can be bagged and taken to the Compost Site located at 400 32nd Ave W, mulched with your lawnmower and left on your lawn break down to provide valuable nutritional benefits to your grass, or left as is to break down naturally. 

Street Maintenance crews are continuously running the street sweeper to clear leaves that have fallen into the roadway and settled in the gutter. Thank you for your patience as we work through town this fall!