Hwy 197 — Bemidji

We are seeking your input on the options for a construction plan. Generally speaking, the less we impact a motorist, the longer it takes to build a road. To better visualize this concept, think of painting your living room.

• If you remove everything off the walls and move the furniture out of the room, you can paint much more quickly, with less effort and less cost.
• If you leave things on the walls and keep the furniture in the room, you can only paint parts of the room at a time. It would take longer to complete and cost more in effort and labor.

If we use staged detours, we can complete this project in one construction season (2026). If we keep Hwy 197 open to traffic, it will extend into a second construction year (2026 & 2027). During road construction, what’s important to you?

• Is it most important that construction of this roadway go as fast as possible?
• Is it most important to keep the highway open throughout construction?

*Note- the City of Bemidji plans to reconstruct Hannah Ave and Middle School Dr in 2025

Answer the Survey to let us know what's more important to you.

Proposes staged detours between Hwy 71 and Hannah Ave. This option prioritizes speed of construction. By closing the construction zone to thru traffic it can be constructed faster, cheaper and higher quality. The downside is that it's the largest impact on motorists, with road closures.

*both options have Gillette Dr to Hwy 71 constructed half at a time (i.e. single lane traffic through the construction zone)

Answer the Survey to let us know which you prefer.

Proposes staged lane closures between Hwy 71 and Hannah Ave. This option prioritizes keeping traffic driving through the construction zone with a lane of traffic open through the project. The downside is that it takes much longer to construct and requires a more complex staging plan. This option would push construction into a second year (2026 & 2027).

*both options have Gillette Dr to Hwy 71 constructed half at a time (i.e. single lane traffic through the construction zone)

Answer the Survey to let us know which you prefer.

Over the past few months, project manager Matt Upgren has been meeting with individual business owners along the project area to further review the project layout and gather input on a construction staging plan. Over the next few months we will continue to meet with area residents, business owners and community leaders.

Join us at our booth at the Beltrami County Fair, Aug 9-13 to review the layout and learn more about the project.

The City of Bemidji will also be hosting a neighborhood meeting/open house on August 15, from 4 - 7 p.m. at City Hall. It will be an informal opportunity for the public to see the alternatives for the city portions of the project on Hannah Avenue and Middle School Drive, ask questions, and provide feedback.

This initial layout shows how MnDOTs preferred alternative for Hwy 197 would look alongside the City's work on Middle School Dr and Hannah Ave. Further discussion with business owners will be held to further develop the geometric design.

In 2022 MnDOT and the City of Bemidji submitted a joint application for a RAISE Grant through the U.S. DOT, which help communities build transportation projects that have significant local or regional impact and improve safety and equity. The project was awarded $18 million, with $14.4 million towards the MnDOT project and $3.6 million toward the City’s. This highly competitive grant will cover a significant portion of both the MnDOT Hwy 197 corridor between Gillett Dr and Hannah Ave, along with the city streets of Middle School Dr and Hannah Ave between Paul Bunyan Dr (Hwy 197) to 23rd St.

RAISE Grant Fact Sheet from the US DOT News Release

In late 2019 the Bemidji City Council was presented with the first visioning plan for MnDOT improvements to the corridor between Gillette Drive (near Menards/L&M Fleet) to Bemidji Ave (near CVS Pharmacy). A motion to approve the corridor vision failed after hearing numerous comments from affected business owners.

In 2020, with no plan on the table, and a future pavement replacement project still needed, we began a new approach to finding community supported solutions that would also satisfy much needed safety improvements for all modes of travel.

With the help of the Headwater Regional Development Commission (HRDC), the City of Bemidji and MnDOT formulated a new Community Review Panel (CRP) to revisit the 2018-19 Highway 197 Corridor Study and work to develop a new vision. In addition to monthly CRP meetings over the course of the next year, the project team met with over 50 businesses and hosted both in-person and virtual outreach events.

Out of those meetings came two new alternatives, with the largest differences between the two being roundabouts or signals at the intersections with Middle School Drive and Hannah Avenue. In late 2021 the Bemidji City Council passed a motion of support, aligning with the recommendation from the Community Review Panel, City staff, and MnDOT, for Alternative #1 (Roundabouts). Which allowed for MnDOT to apply for additional grant funding, and begin designing a geometric layout of the preferred alternative.

Visit the Corridor Study website or the project documents widget to view all of the details from the previous study including: the need for project, Community Review Panel, and the development of the corridor vision.