February 2012 Gem Lake Newsletter

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Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6 Next, reports commissioned by Vadnais Heights from their planning and engineering departments were presented recently to their city council. These reports showed the project to be entirely feasible. Also, there has been renewed interest in the long-planned traffic corridor by members of the Vadnais Heights City Council, according to Gem Lake City Clerk Bill Short, who also plays the same role for White Bear Township. Additionally important is the fact that Structural Wood Products Inc., which owns much of the land that the new road would run across, has expressed new interest in possibly selling the land so the project can proceed. This project has a long, long history... The original planning of Interstate 35-E in this area called for a route that was slightly east of where the freeway lies today. The wetlands and perhaps some influential landowners in the area, if legends are to be believed, caused the freeway to settle into its current route. A comprehensive plan written by Bill Short for White Bear Township in 1975 called for the extension of LaBore Road to link it up with White Bear Parkway. "Ironically, I am one of the people who wrote about the need for this road extension many years ago and here we are talking about it today," says Bill. Scroll forward to March of 1995, when the I- 35 corridor management group identified the need for this link up in the roads, to provide for more efficient traffic flow. This team was made up of representatives from the Cities of White Bear, Vadnais Heights, Gem Lake, North Oaks, as well as White Bear Township, Ramsey County, the Metropolitan Council and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Recently, increased traffic volumes have made the need for more and better alternative routes on and off of Interstate LaBore Road Extension May Happen (continued from page 1) 35E even more pressing. Several cities, such as Vadnais Heights and Gem Lake have listed this project as a priority in their Comprehensive Plans over the course of many years. Although it may have seemed that the recently completed I-35-E construction project, that snarled traffic last year, led to renewed interest in this road extension, it's simply a coincidence, according to Bill Short. "This project has been on the burner for a while. The fact that funding is more available is the primary reason we are hearing more about it now." A conceptual plan for the project was authorized during a key meeting held last month between key cities and organizations. Structural Wood Products was in attendance and participated in initial design discussions. At present, initial plans for the project call for design work to be completed in 2012 and construction to begin in 2013. Chances are now better than not that the project will proceed, says Bill Short. He added that about 4/5ths of the land involved in this potential project is located in Vadnais Heights. The remaining fifth is located in the Township. "The road bed in the Township's portion of the road link up was built 10 years ago, so we are definitely ready." Recently, the White Bear Township Board unanimously approved a resolution of support for the City of Vadnais Heights Road Improvement Grant application.