One day, people traveling along the portion of County Road 45 – also known as 10th Drive SE – will be able to cross Highway 218 and drive directly on to County Road 3.

Sunday, February 11, 2001

One day, people traveling along the portion of County Road 45 – also known as 10th Drive SE – will be able to cross Highway 218 and drive directly on to County Road 3.

Do the questions why and who will pay for it come to mind?

Plans are being made to move County Road 3 as part of the airport expansion, which also includes the re-angling of County Road 58 to the east and land acquisition, of which 12 occupied properties already have been purchased. Another five occupied properties are set to be purchased in the next phase of the airport development.

A total of 26 parcels will be purchased when the acquisition is complete, including some plots of vacant land. The occupied parcels were purchased with the intention of relocating the houses if possible.

Land acquisitions were made with a desire to expand the current runway to 6,500 feet. However, at this point, the extension is planned for 5,800 feet from the current 4,800 feet and is dependent on funding.

The proposal to move County Road 3 also is part of the runway expansion and involves aligning County Roads 45 and 3 by moving County Road 3 one-tenth to two-tenths of a mile south. The county road relocations are contingent upon the approval of the county engineer and the Mower County Board of Commissioners.

Squaring the roads was a decision made with two goals in mind: the expansion of the airport to accommodate an increased need for runway space and the creation of a safer situation for motorists, through the joining of one intersection into two.

"The airport is a gateway by air to Austin," Dick Chaffee, a member of the city’s Airport, Trails and Railroads Committee, said. "With the improvements, we become a more user-friendly community."

The cost to date of the acquisition has been $1.7 million, which was spent on property purchases, some engineering and professional services. The cost of the second phase of the project, which includes the remaining acquisitions, the move of County 3 and the burying of a power line south of the acquired parcels, will be paid with $1.6 million expected from the state’s allocation of federal funding.

When the total cost of the project – $10 million – is considered, it is clear the state-issued funds are vital to the project.

"I can’t stress enough that this is totally fund-driven," Erichson said of the importance of the federal funding.

As long as the power line currently along County Road 3 remains in service, it will be buried underground and emerge again above ground on either side of the clear zone after the second phase is complete.

The five-year plan for the airport expansion was written by Erichson last year and is open to revision. Another portion of the project includes the relocation of one hangar and the purchase of the current Hormel Foods Corp. hangar to replace the relocated one.

City Engineer Jon Erichson said the present County Road 3 will remain open until the new road is built and in working order. He also said County Road 3 possibly could be graded in the fall this year and paved in 2002.

Residents in the County Road 3 area will receive an invitation to a meeting to discuss the relocation in the "very near future," Chaffee said late last week.