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Bid awarded for Phase II of the Loop

By
Lori Sorenson

Thorstad Companies of Dell Rapids, South Dakota, submitted the low bid of $747,569 for Phase II of the Luverne Loop bike trail work that will begin later this summer.
Thorstad was selected Friday during a bid letting in the Rock County Highway Department, which is overseeing the project.
They were the lowest out of four bids for the federally funded project.
County commissioners approved Thorstad’s bid Tuesday contingent on the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Office of Civil Rights approval.
County Engineer Mark Sehr anticipated the approved could take two weeks to four months.
This summer’s work was already waiting for the MnDOT officials to approve plans and specs for Phase 2 of the Luverne Loop, which is 1.68 miles long.
It starts at Dodge Street near the school on the south end of the 1.5-mile long Phase I Loop.
The path continues along Poplar Creek, crosses the waterway and crosses County Road 4 by Kolbert Park.  It also passes by Luverne Flowers and by Great Plains Processing.
This section will require a box culvert extension, which may be the first step of Phase 2 construction.
The rest of Phase II follows Walnut Avenue and Hatting St, past the ice arena to Gabrielson Road, and connects with South Highway 75, which will have a marked bike lane.
Luverne Economic Development Authority Director Holly Sammons updated EDA board members at their Aug. 14 meeting.
She said the three-month window for state approval of the path plans and specifications was more like eight months.
“We’re excited to at least know we have a contractor selected for Phase 2 work on the Loop,” Sammons said. “Hopefully we’ll have some work get done yet this fall.”
A $400,000 MnDOT Transportation Alternatives Program Grant was awarded for Phase 2 of the project.
The 7.1-mile asphalt Luverne Loop trail for non-motorized uses will incorporate the 6-mile Blue Mounds Trail for 13 miles of continuous path that will make Luverne a biking destination.
The Loop, estimated to cost $2 million once complete, is being developed in phased segments over a time period as grant funding becomes available.
Phase 1 wrapped up late last year, and Phase 2 is about to start.
The next phases will eventually cross Highway 75, travel north along the highway and then turn east at Hatting and north on Freeman.
The trail will then head east to the Rock River, then north to the planned trailhead at Redbird Field.
Future crossing improvements at the intersection of Blue Mound Avenue and Main Street will connect the Luverne Loop to the existing Blue Mounds Trails, fully closing the loop.
A master plan for the Loop is available for public viewing at Luverne City Hall and at cityofluverne.org.

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