Blake Road - 2022 / 2023 Roadway Reconstruction

Blake Road between Interlachen Boulevard and Waterman Avenue will be closed for gas main improvements by CenterPoint Energy beginning on 5/23/22 for a few weeks. The detour route will be Vernon Avenue, Highway 100 and Excelsior Boulevard. CenterPoint Energy’s contractor Minnesota Limited will coordinate with local residents to maintain access to homes within the closure.

*Amended* Blake Road between Lake Ridge Road and Oak Bend Lane will be closed for gas main improvements by CenterPoint Energy beginning on 5/2/22 for multiple weeks. The detour route will be Interlachen Boulevard and Vernon Avenue. CenterPoint Energy’s contractor Michels will coordinate with local residents to maintain access to homes within the closure.

Please see the following updates relating to CenterPoint Energy's gas main and service replacement project.

1. CenterPoint Energy’s contractor, Michels Corporation, is scheduled to begin gas main installation on April 11.
2. Anticipate road closures associated with the work.
3. CenterPoint Energy's work is not part of the City's Blake Road Street Reconstruction contract.
4. The City is scheduled to consider awarding a construction contract for the road and utility improvements on April 19.
5. This work is occurring to replace old steel gas main and services prior to the City’s project.
6. City staff will only be onsite for this work periodically to ensure the gas main is not placed in the way of our future infrastructure.
7. For additional gas main and service replacement information and updates please visit CenterPoint Energy’s project web page.

CenterPoint Energy Blake Road Website

Thank you.

The City Council authorized the design and contractor bidding phase for the project on December 21 including the following improvements:

• A roundabout at the Blake Road and Interlachen Boulevard intersection
• Steel Sheet Pile style retaining wall adjacent to Mirror Lakes
• 8-feet wide concrete shared use path along the west side of the street north of Waterman Avenue
  • Staff will continue to work with residents to protect trees
• 6-feet wide concrete sidewalk along the west side of the street south of Interlachen Boulevard, and
• 5-feet wide on-street concrete bike lanes

Preparation of final plans and specifications will be prepared this winter, followed by solicitation of contractor bids. We anticipate construction beginning in April or May 2022. The estimated preliminary assessment amount is $7,000 per residential equivalent unit, payable beginning in 2023 after construction is complete.

The City hired Nagell Appraisal Inc. to prepare a letter report providing a preliminary opinion of market benefit for similar properties in the neighborhood. The letter report is available for viewing in the document library located here. The estimated assessment amount per residential equivalent unit (REU) is $7,000.

The Engineering Study can be viewed here.

To complete the public hearing comment form please click here.

The Edina City Council will meet at Edina City Hall on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, at 6:00 p.m., to consider the public hearing on roadway improvements for Blake Road Neighborhood Roadway Reconstruction. This hearing is being conducted under the authority granted by Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 429.

This hearing has been called as a recommendation from staff. The proposed project would be constructed in the summer of 2022 with the assessment hearing occurring in the fall of 2023. The estimated cost is $272,860.00 and is funded by special assessment. The estimated cost per assessable lot is $7,000.00 per residential equivalent unit. The assessment can be divided over a fifteen-year period with interest accumulating on the unpaid balance.

The area proposed to be assessed the cost of the proposed improvement includes the following:

300 to 5125 Blake Road South, 6212 to 6308 Interlachen Boulevard, 5100 to 5101 Lake Ridge Road, 6408 Maloney Avenue, 6400 to 6401 Mendelssohn Lane, 5000 Oak Bend Lane, 5101, 5111 and 5117 Scriver Road, 6324 Waterman Avenue.

Please watch the informational videos about how projects are funded (special assessment, pedestrian and cyclist safety, utility and MnDOT funds), a typical project timeline, how you will be impacted, how you can prepare, and more. Please also complete the online survey on whether you would attend a neighborhood wide in person Q&A meeting at a City facility. If favorable results are received, a meeting would occur in November.

We hope you find these videos informative, and we anticipate they will generate questions. Your questions can be submitted on this web page, or you can reach out to us by email or phone.

Please find the proposed Blake Road layout here. The proposed Blake Road typical section is also available.

The proposed typical section for Blake Road includes.

• Construction of mini roundabout at the Interlachen Boulevard intersection,
• Construction of two 6-foot on-street concrete bike lanes,
• Construction of a 5-foot concrete sidewalk along the west side of the street south of Interlachen Boulevard, and
• Construction of a 8-foot asphalt shared use path along the west side of the street north of Interlachen Boulevard.

Hello and welcome to Better Together Edina. This web page will be the hub for sharing information related to roadway reconstruction scheduled for 2022 in the Blake Road A, B, & C neighborhood. Important updates will be posted on this web page at various points during the Engineering Study phase. Anticipate weekly updates during construction in 2022. Key project milestones include:

• June 2021 – Begin Engineering Study preparation
• Summer 2021 – Informational video or similar. Format to be determined due to COVID-19
• Nov. 2021 – Engineering Study complete
• Dec. 2021 – City Council meeting to discuss authorizing project design
• Mar. 2022 – City Council authorizes construction
• Apr. 2022 – Construction begins
• Oct. 2022 – Construction substantial completion

Feel free to call or email me with your project questions, or you can post questions on this website.

We look forward to assisting and keeping you informed with this project.

Aaron Ditzler