The 100th Avenue alignment in Cottage Grove may or may not soon come to fruition, pending the outcome of a request for legislative funding support from the Minnesota House of Representatives.
“Thank you to the Minnesota House of Representatives bonding committee stop in Cottage Grove Friday!” Mayor Myron Bailey shared recently on social media. “Asking for legislative funding support to put trail lighting at the Cottage Grove Ravine Park. Well received by the committee! Thank you to Representative Wayne Johnson for setting up the tour.”
Representative Johnson is the Minnesota House Representative for District 41A. Ravine Regional Park is a 500-plus acre county park located off Keats Avenue. The Washington County Commissioners are requesting $2 million state funds for trail lighting at the park, supported in this by the city. Said to have strong community support from skiers, hikers, and trail runners as well, failure to secure the needed funds may result in project delay of trail lighting or else not being built. The total project cost to the county for trail lighting at Ravine Regional (after $2 million in state aid) is estimated to be $2.15 million.
As for the 100th Street realignment further south, the capital improvement project seeks to extend 100th Avenue eastward to meet up with Keats Avenue at Highway 61, making a more direct connection to the city’s growing industrial park.
Submitted for consideration in both 2024 and 2025, the project hinges on $6 million from Washington County, $4.9 million from the City of Cottage Grove, $13.6 million in federal grants, and $22.5 million from the State of Minnesota, for a total project cost of 47.0 million. City and county officials have previously appeared at the State Capitol in St. Paul to testify on the need for funding.
The planned street realignment has already received $13.6 million in pledged federal funding, but this funding pledge begins to expire in 2028 if the remaining gap is not filled. Washington County and the City of Cottage Grove have invested more than $1.4 million in project engineering to date.
The project deemed “transformative” to the southeast metro would support 500 acres of planned development and help balance regional traffic patterns on U.S. Highway 61. Other project supporters include the Minnesota Department of Transport (MnDOT), 3M, and Renewal by Andersen.
A new railway grade separation is included in the project and is meant to efficiently accommodate freight growth in a rapidly growing industrial area.
If all goes well in funding terms, construction on the 100th Street Realignment could begin in the Spring of 2027.