Bemidji Highway 197 Project is Approved After Years of Discussion

After years of back-and-forth, the Bemidji City Council has issued municipal consent for the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Highway 197 Project, which would add roundabouts on the intersections of Hannah Avenue and the entrance to Menards.

One issue from the council has been how close the roundabouts were to the Super 8 Motel on Hannah Avenue. Expressing concerns over the safety of pedestrians and those staying in the motel in the case of a car accident on that roundabout. Representatives of MnDoT met with the Council to share updated info, stating the roundabout will be much further away than the designs make it out to be.

“The roundabout is almost 70 feet away from the building.” says Darren Laesch, MnDoT Assistant Engineer District 2, “We got an opportunity for landscaping features along this corridor. We’ve been talking about that, the city has been considering that, and so one opportunity that we could look at is, is a landscaping buffer area there behind that trail because it trails right up against the curb and pretty much goes right into their parking lot. So we could create that landscaping buffer that would create space for trees or boulders that would provide some screening and some protection.

Council member Gwenia Fiskevold Gould expressed that because the entire project would be funded through grant money… that would bring down the overall cost to residents. Others Council members believe the roundabout will help with the flow of traffic in the area, and prevent crashes without cutting down emergency response times.

“This project is an opportunity and we don’t want to let it slip through our fingers.” adds Laesch, “So this project is addressing infrastructure needs in our community. You’ll see a lot of potholes next spring, a lot of potholes next year; if we can’t address that, that’s going to be an issue that is going to need to be tackled. We’ve documented safety concerns and sustained crashes on Hanna Avenue, Middle School Drive and Highway 71, this project addresses those sustained crash locations. 55% reduction in crash cost with the improvements that we’re planning for this project.”

The vote would pass Five to Two, with Council Member Josh Peterson and Mayor Jorge Prince voting no on the Project. MnDoT expressed that they believe their portion of the project would only take a year and should be complete by fall of 2026.