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The Austin City Council will be voting on a construction agreement with the Minnesota Department of Transportation for the replacement of the 28th Street Northeast bridge during its next regular meeting.

The project, which will replace the bridge on 28th Street Northeast crossing Interstate 90, is planned for spring and summer of this year. The new bridge will include the following:

• Two 12-foot driving lanes;

• One 6-foot shoulder;

• One 12-foot trail/sidewalk; and

• Aesthetic improvements.

During construction, northbound traffic headed to Gerard Academy, the Austin Country Club and neighborhoods to the north and east will be detoured to Brownsdale and back on County Road 46.

Under the agreement, MnDOT will cover up to 7 percent, or $141,540, of the contract costs for aesthetic improvements while the local entity is required to cover the excess. According to City Engineer Steven Lang, the total estimated bridge construction aesthetics is $187,115, leaving the remaining $45,575.40 as local costs. Lang noted that the total local aesthetic improvements cost comes to $49,221.43 when including associated engineering costs.

Lang said the Hormel Foundation has agreed to participate in funding the project.

The council will vote during the meeting on whether or not to extend the ice season at Packer Arena by an additional two weeks. The request came at the behest of the Austin Youth Hockey Association. The council voted in favor of moving the vote to the meeting during its last work session.

The council will also call for a public hearing for the establishment of tax increment financing district number 15 for Nu-Tek Biosciences to be held at 5:30 p.m. on March 15. During its last meeting, the council unanimously approved a development agreement with Nu-Tek Biosciences, an industrial ingredient provider of plant-based drug fermentation protein (peptones) used in the development and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, to build a facility in Creekside Business Park.

Lang will discuss right of way purchase agreements on 31st Street Southwest during the council’s next work session. The agreements are connected to realignment work scheduled for this year on 31st Street Northwest.

The council’s next regular meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 1, in the City Council Chambers located in the basement of Austin City Hall. The work session will take place in the Council Chambers immediately following the meeting.

Any citizen wishing to monitor the meeting from a remote location should do so by tuning in to Charter Channel 180. Anyone not able to do so, or anyone wishing to address the council, should contact City Clerk Ann Kasel at 507-437-9943 to make arrangements in advance. Any citizen wishing to monitor the work session from a remote location should also contact Kasel to make arrangements.

For a complete agenda, visit www.ci.austin.mn.us/city-council.