BEMIDJI — After many hours of conversations, Bemidji will soon see a transformed west side after another vote on a contentious road project.
The Bemidji City Council approved the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s final layout for the project, with roundabouts replacing traffic signals at Hannah Avenue, Middle School Drive and the Menard’s entrance on Highway 197 in October.
The approval came on condition that MnDOT would present a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, between the city and the agency for the construction.
The contentious project, slated for 2026, was initially presented in 2019 with six roundabouts on the main corridor. MnDOT went back to the drawing board and worked with citizen and stakeholder committees before presenting this updated layout with a narrower scope.
After discussing the MOU at its Nov. 18 meeting and rejecting it, council member Gwenia Fiskevold Gould asked the Council to reconsider, given that $18 million in federal grants were approved for this project.
"MnDOT has been [an] honest partner with us, and we also do not know what kind of opportunities the city of Bemidji will receive when it comes to federal funding,” Fiskevold Gould said at the Nov. 18 meeting. “It's very rare that Minnesota gets this grant.”
The motion to approve the MOU passed on a 5-2 vote on Monday, Dec. 2. Mayor Jorge Prince, who expressed his desire for an MOU for the project to proceed, was among the "no" votes, describing it as a “lose-lose” decision.
“Because no matter what is decided here, no matter how I vote, there's going to be some segment of the population that's going to walk away unsatisfied and there's no way that this construction season is going to be anything but very, very difficult for everybody involved,” Prince said.
“It's our main thoroughfare. We go through two seasons of construction on it, one for our streets, one for MnDOT, there is no way that’s going to be anything but painful for everyone involved.”
In the agreement, the agency will incentivize contractors to reach substantial completion within 2026 as well as hire a community liaison, who will host weekly meetings and be available for community questions.
City street projects will be underway in 2025 on Hannah Avenue and Middle School Drive in anticipation of the 2026 project on Paul Bunyan Drive.
